One Fateful Night
by Wishful Thinker8
Summary: *COMPLETE!* An accident happens that will change everyone's lives forever. Can it be fate?
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the gundam wing characters or the song "One Week".  
  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
The tires hummed on the wet pavement as the car sped along the highway. The windshield wipers flicked back and forth rapidly, clearing the rain away as fast as they could. The radio was blaring and the driver was tapping along to the beat on the steering wheel, singing under his breath. He quickly glanced over at the sleeping passenger. "Still sound asleep" he thought amusedly as he turned his attention back to the road. The rain started to come down even faster. "Damn" he muttered, squinting to see through the blinding sheet. He flicked the windshield wipers on to super high. That didn't improve visibility conditions much. The passenger began to stir as the driver muttered under his breath again.   
  
"Hmmm? What's wrong?" he asked his friend, obviously still half asleep.  
  
"I can't see very well" his friend replied through grinted teeth, still trying to peer through the rain.  
  
"Maybe we should pull over until it stops" the passenger suggested quietly. The driver shook his head.  
  
"We'll be fine. The rain is supposed to go on all night". His grip tightened on the steering wheel, trying not to show how afraid he really was. The radio still played in the back ground. The passenger reached over and turned it down. The song "One Week" by the Bare Naked Ladies came on.  
  
"I really think we should pull over for the night" the passenger suggested, a little more firmly this time.  
  
"I told you, I can handle it" his friend reassured him.  
  
It'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry*  
  
The driver noticed a pair of headlights cross into his side. "Oh my God!" he screamed, trying to stop. He pushed down hard on the brake, to try and prevent the inevitable. The headlights blinded the 2 as the truck grew closer and closer, not slowing down at all.   
  
"Please lord, help us" The passenger pleaded, silent tears running down his cheeks. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The car met the truck head on. The sickening sound of metal scarping metal echoed through the night and the car seemed to fold up like a flimsy piece of paper. Screams could be heard coming from the car. The driver tried to reach his friend but a sharp pain in his back prevented all his movements. The mangled car came to a stop and everything went black.  
  
  
So, please r&r if you liked it  
Chapter 2 should be up soon.  
  
Wishful thinker 


	2. Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own gundam wing or the song "One Week".  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
"Please lord, help us" The passenger pleaded, silent tears running down his cheeks.  
  
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The car met the truck head on. The  
  
sickening sound of metal scarping metal echoed through the night and the car seemed to  
  
fold up like a flimsy piece of paper. Screams could be heard coming from the car. The  
  
driver tried to reach his friend but a sharp pain in his back prevented all his movements.  
  
The mangled car came to a stop and everything went black.  
  
The boy woke up with a start and tried to sit up but the burning hot pain through out his  
  
whole body prevented that. He screamed softly as his muscles relaxed. He knew it was  
  
futile to try and go back to sleep. He had been reliving this nightmarish night for 2 months now. It was haunting him, stalking him, preventing him from forgetting which is all he wanted to do.  "Why won't they let me forget. Please let me forget" he pleaded quietly, tears starting to form in his eyes.  
  
* Flash back*  
  
That night, that one fateful night when the truck had crossed lanes and struck the little car  
  
and folded it up. He could still feel the metal grinding into his flesh. His desperate cries for help and the futile attempts to reach his friend. The ambulance crews got to him first. He knew it was bad. They had to use the jaws of life to get him out. "Don't worry about me, get to my friend" he could remember himself saying through the intense pain. "We're  
  
getting you out first" the crew member said, prying the twisted metal doors open. He  
  
turned to his friend. "We'll get through this I promise you buddy, just hang on, they're  
  
coming to you next". His friend smiled then winced.  
  
"You're going to have to live for both of us now. I'm not going to make it" the passenger  
  
said weakly.  
  
"Don't talk like that. We'll make it, I know we will" the driver said urgently. The many  
  
crew members started to pull him out of the car. He screamed in agony, metal bits tearing  
  
into his body. "You live life to the fullest for both of us" the passenger said, the driver was taken out of view and placed on a stretcher. "Save my friend. Save my friend!!!!" the  
  
driver yelled out furiously. The attendant slipped a needle into his arm and waves of  
  
drowsiness swept over him. "Save my friend" he muttered as all his pain drifted away and he found himself falling asleep, feeling as though he was on a fluffy pink cloud.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
The rustling of a stiff dress caught his attention. A nurse had entered his room, with a little paper cup. "Are you okay Duo? Are you in pain?' she asked worriedly.  
  
More tears coursed silently down his cheeks. He couldn't hold back any longer. He burst  
  
out sobbing, taking breaths but getting no air in return. His sobs grow louder and louder.  
  
He didn't noticed the nurse slip a needle into his I.V bag.  
  
"You must calm down Duo. It isn't good for you to get all worked up like this when  
  
you're still weak" she replied soothingly. Duo turned his tearstained face towards her.  
  
"It's all my fault, It's all my fault" he repeated, getting louder each time. "It's all my fault" he wailed before the drugs started to take affect. His pain slowly diminished and he felt as though he was floating on another little pink fluffy cloud. "Please, forgive me and let me forget" he pleaded silently as his eyelids dropped, then closed. The last thing he thought for a long time was the song. The song that played on that fateful night.  
  
*It'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry*  
  
  
  
Well, did anyone like it? Please r&r. Flames are accepted, if you want to send them.  
  
In the next chapter, you'll find out who that passenger is. In the meantime, please  
  
review/e-mail me if you want to guess who it is.  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	3. Part 3

One Fateful Night  
  
  
  
2 weeks later, The doctors brought Duo out of his drug induced coma claiming that Duo  
  
was now strong enough to be moved out of ICU. Duo was still a bit groggy as the nurses  
  
lifted him on to the bed in his new room on the 3rd floor. He began to wake up as the  
  
orderly brought his "mush" lunch in.  
  
"Hello, you must be Duo" the orderly said politely, checking his chart on the end of the  
  
bed. Duo, still not being able to sit up, just grunted in reply. "I know you can't sit up or  
  
use your hands very well so you'll have to put up with me if you want lunch" she said  
  
cheerfully, pulling up a chair beside Duo's bed.  
  
"What's wrong with me?" Duo said slowly, in a voice that didn't seem to belong to him.  
  
The pretty nurses face hovered over his.  
  
"I'm not the one to tell you that" she replied quietly. "The doctors will be in to talk to you  
  
soon.  
  
"Where's my friend" Duo demanded, more sure of his voice this time.  
  
"Who's your friend?" the nurse asked politely, setting up the lunch tray so that it wouldn't tip.  
  
"My friend, Quatre" Duo explained, opening his mouth to except the food. It slide easily  
  
down his throat.  
  
"Maybe he'll be in to visit you later" she suggested cheerfully. "Now that you're stronger, you'll be able to have more visitors".  
  
Duo's mind was racing. The accident, the rain, the screaming, Quatre's voice. "Quatre  
  
was in the car with me. I want to see him now" Duo said angrily. The nurse was shocked.  
  
"He doesn't remember" she thought fearfully "and I'm not the one to tell him". "Well,  
  
maybe he's in another part of this hospital. I'll have a look for him as soon as you finish  
  
your lunch" she lied cheerfully. Duo frowned but didn't say anything. When the last bit of food was swallowed, the nurse stood up and started to leave the room.  
  
"Wait!" Duo called out. "I want to come with you to look for him". The pretty nurse  
  
smiled sadly.  
  
"I'm sorry honey but you can't get out of bed for a bit. I promise I'll go look for him. You just relax" she reassured Duo as she left the room hurriedly.  
  
"Something's not right" Duo thought worriedly "I just can't figure out what though".  
  
2 hours later, Duo was battling intense pain when another nurse came in with a needle to  
  
insert in his I.V. "Oh no. I don't want to go back to sleep until I get to see Quatre" Duo  
  
cried, seeing the nurse advancing to him.  
  
"You need your rest" she said stubbornly.  
  
"No. I won't rest till I find my buddy!" Duo screamed, as the pain intensified. The nurse  
  
rushed out of the room and returned 2 minutes later with 2 doctors.  
  
"Hello Duo. We've all been very worried about you" one doctor said. "We've also heard  
  
that you're being very stubborn".  
  
Duo stuck out his lower lip. "I want to know what's wrong with me and I want to see my  
  
friend Quatre. I refuse to take anymore medicine until my questions are answered".  
  
The doctors exchanged uneasy looks. "Alright Duo. If you think you are ready. You were  
  
in a terrible car accident and you broke your pelvic bone and have a severe concussion.  
  
You also have a hairline fracture near the top of your spine which is why you're having  
  
trouble using your hands and speaking. We also don't know if you'll ever be able to walk  
  
again but there is a 80% chance that you will" the doctor explained slowly so that Duo  
  
could take in all the information.  
  
Duo could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again. "And Quatre?" he asked quietly.  
  
The doctor looked Duo straight in the eye. "Your friend was killed at the scene. There  
  
was no hope for him. A piece of metal pierced is heart" the doctor explained sadly.  
  
Duo's head began to spin as he heard this. His buddy, Quatre, dead. Never seeing that  
  
smile ever again. Never being able to joke around. Never seeing those aqua- marine eyes  
  
beg and plead with him. "No, it can't be. My little buddy. He can't be dead, he can't be"  
  
Duo wailed, tears cascading down his cheeks. With a swift nod from the doctor, the nurse  
  
slipped the needle into the I.V and the effect was instantaneous. Duo began to float away  
  
with no pain, just the doctors words.  
  
*Quatre's dead, Quatre's dead*  
  
*Oh God, Please forgive me*  
  
So, how'd ya like it?  
  
Please r&r  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	4. Part 4

I know I haven't updated for along time but here's the fourth chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything  
  
One fateful Night  
  
3 days had passed, and the fact that Quatre was never coming back had finally reached  
  
Duo's shattered heart. He refused to eat and he only slept when the nurses came and  
  
slipped something in his IV bag for pain. He liked being on that little pink cloud. There  
  
was noone to bug him there, all he wanted to do was to be alone, to be forgotten. He was  
  
jostled out of his thought by yet another intruder.  
  
"Go away. I'm not going to eat so you're wasting your breath" Duo said in a monotone  
  
voice.  
  
"I'm here to tell you what a baka you're being" a familiar voice said. That voice made  
  
Duo's blood run cold. He had been dreading this moment. The moment when he had to  
  
face the others. The others being Heero, Trowa, Wufei, Relena, Hilde, and Sally.  
  
"Go away Heero. I don't want to talk to you. I deserve to be alone after what I did  
  
to.....to......" Duo couldn't finish his sentence.  
  
"That's why I'm here. You're wasting your life away in this place and that's not what  
  
Quatre would've of wanted" Heero replied seriously, going over by Duo's bed. Duo  
  
turned his tear-stained face towards Heero.  
  
"How would you know what Quatre wanted? Huh?? What he wanted was to stop the car  
  
for the night and wait out the rain but I assured him that everything would be alright and  
  
look what happened to him. He's dead and it's because I didn't listen to him" Duo sobbed, trying to get away from Heero but as he did that, he could feel his broken bones grinding together. He cried out with even more intensity as waves of pain overtook him. Heero reached out to stop Duo from moving.  
  
"Stay still baka. You'll hurt yourself even more" Heero explained through gritted teeth.  
  
Duo stopped moving and just lay there. "Are you ready to listen now?". No response.  
  
"Duo, the only reason I came today is because I felt that you needed help. Almost like you were drowning in a sea of pity and couldn't pull yourself out. Duo, are you even listening to me?" Heero asked gravely.  
  
Duo sniffed. "I don't have anything better to do" he mumbled. Heero sighed and sat down on the chair. This was going to be a lot harder that anticipated.  
  
"When we heard about the accident, we all went ballistic. We rushed up here to see you  
  
and Quatre but when we got here, Quatre wasn't here and you were in surgery. We found  
  
out that Quatre had died and I think that's the first time I've ever seen Wufei or Trowa  
  
cry. He was our best friend but you are too. Trowa and Wufei are still trying to deal with  
  
their grief and I won't even mention the amount of tissue we've gone through between the girls. I was angry. Angry that you killed our best friend and you lived to tell the tale.  
  
Quatre was so innocent and he didn't deserve to die" Heero explained.  
  
Tears started to fall down Duo's cheeks again. "Gee, thanks Heero, you're making me feel a whole lot better with this guilt trip and" Duo was cut off by Heero's hand covering his mouth.  
  
"Just hold your tongue for a few more minutes. I was angry until last night. You might  
  
think I'm crazy for believing this but I know it was true. I went to bed early last night and  
  
fell straight to sleep. I had the strangest dream then I woke up. Quatre was there, standing  
  
at the end of my bed. I couldn't believe my eyes. Quatre had come back to us. He was  
  
wearing a flowing white glowing robe to match his beautiful feathery wings. He wanted me to deliver a message to you" Heero said softly.  
  
*flashback*  
  
"Quatre, you're alive" Heero whispered in disbelief. Quatre shook his head sadly.  
  
"No, I'm not alive. I'm an angel now Heero and since my life was cut off so suddenly, I'm allowed to go around and say my final good-byes. I tried to reach Duo but he's isolated himself from everyone so it's impossible. I wanted to tell him that it's not his fault and he needs to realize that before it's too late.  
  
"That baka got you killed. I'll make sure that he lives to pay for his mistake" Heero  
  
growled, making a fist.  
  
"No Heero! It wasn't his fault! It wasn't anyone's fault! It was just fate! Please believe  
  
me! Forgive him" Quatre cried frantically.  
  
"But Quatre, aren't you mad?' Heero asked curiously. Quatre just laughed.  
  
"Heero, and you're supposed to be my best friend! Have you ever known me to get mad  
  
at anyone? I'm just so worried about Duo. He thinks it's his fault, when really, it's not. If  
  
it's anybody's fault, it's the truck drivers' for crossing lanes on us. There was nothing Duo could have done. You must convince the others not to be mad, especially Duo. He's mad at himself and he can rebuild his life but he needs help" Quatre explained warmly.  
  
"Quatre, how do I know this isn't a dream? How do I know that Duo will listen to me?"  
  
Heero asked questionably.  
  
"By this" Quatre replied simply and plucked a feather from his wings and handed it to  
  
Heero. "Give Duo this. Make him understand. I know you can do it Heero. Just listen to  
  
your heart. You haven't failed a mission yet and you never will" Quatre explained.  
  
Heero took the feather from Quatre. "It feels magical" he whispered.  
  
"Good luck Heero. I'll be watching over you" Quatre said gently and disappeared.  
  
"Quatre? Quatre!! Wait!" Heero cried.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
"How do I know that you're not lying?' Duo asked sharply.  
  
"By this" Heero replied and handed Duo a single white angelic feather.  
  
*it'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry*  
  
Well, did anyone like it? I'm trying to make the chapters longer. Please r&r. Well, you can kinda only review now because if you're reading this message, you've already read the story. So please review.  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	5. Part 5

Some people brought it to my attention that Heero is a little OOC but I can't really help it  
  
so deal with it or stop reading this story if you don't like it. Sorry for being grumpy.  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own nothing  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
  
  
"How do I know that you're not lying?' Duo asked sharply.  
  
"By this" Heero replied and handed Duo a single white angelic feather. Duo just stared at  
  
the feather. "I'm asking you to trust me".  
  
"I don't know what to say" Duo whispered tearfully, fingering the delicate feather. "I  
  
don't know what to believe anymore. My heart tells me to listen to you but my mind tells  
  
me different".  
  
"You were given a second chance at life. Don't throw it away" Heero said gruffly.  
  
Duo looked up with a hint of determination in his violet eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes to  
  
get out of here. But after that, I'm not promising anything" he replied shakily, hastily  
  
wiping the last tear away.  
  
Heero started to smile but caught himself. "That sounds more like the braided baka I  
  
know. Why don't you start by eating lunch?" Heero said tonelessly.  
  
Duo's gaze fell back to the bed. "I can't" he whispered helplessly. Heero raised an  
  
eyebrow.  
  
"Oh really? Have you even tried?" he asked.  
  
"No, I can't even sit up" Duo snapped back.  
  
"Have you asked?" Heero asked simply. Duo made a face.  
  
"Of course I have. They say I'm too weak though and they're right. You saw me before. I  
  
couldn't even move across the bed with hurting myself" Duo replied softly.  
  
"Well then. The only way you're going to get stronger is by eating so hold out your  
  
hands" Heero commanded. Duo slowly opened his hands. Once he had them opened,  
  
Heero dropped a chocolate bar into one hand and Duo's fingers grasped it by instinct.  
  
"Eat".  
  
Duo's clumsy fingers tried to open the wrapping. "Damn wrapping!" Duo cried with a hint of frustration in his voice. Heero calmly took the chocolate bar out of Duo's hands and peeled off the wrapping and handed it back to Duo. Duo murmured a thanks and tried to bring his hands closer to his mouth so that he could take a bite. It felt as though knifes were jabbing his neck but he kept going. Finally, he had gotten the food close enough to  
  
his mouth that he could take a bit so he did. He savoured the rich chocolate as it rolled  
  
around in his mouth, chewing slowly so that he wouldn't disturb his already growing  
  
headache. He swallowed carefully and took another bite. He took him a total of 20 minutes to eat the chocolate bar but he had done it all by himself. The doctor knocked on the door and Heero quickly snatched the wrapper out of Duo's hand and shoved it in his pocket.  
  
The doctor entered the room. It was a doctor Duo had never seen before. He had a  
  
wrinkled face and a small white beard. "Hello. You must be Duo" he said calmly, coming  
  
over to the other side of the bed. The pain in Duo's head was growing worse.  
  
"Hi" he replied, trying not to show how much pain he was in. The room seemed to grow  
  
hotter as the second went by.  
  
"I'm here to talk to you a bit about your accident" the doctor went on but the voice  
  
seemed to becoming from the end of a tunnel.  
  
"Duo, are you okay?' Heero asked. Duo shook his head causing more waves of pain to  
  
pass over him.  
  
"Help me" was the last thing Duo could remember himself saying before a world of heat  
  
engulfed him and everything went black.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry it's so short. I have writers block right now so everyone will just have to be patient  
  
until I get over it. Please review.  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	6. Part 6

Disclaimer-I don't own anything. (does anyone even read these things anymore?)  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
"Aaaaahhhh" Duo's brain screamed as he started to wake up. His head was throbbing  
  
along with his upper back.  
  
"Welcome back Mr. Maxwell. We were starting to worry" a voice said from beside him.  
  
Duo tried to turn his head to face the voice but a gentle hand stopped him. "I wouldn't do  
  
that if I were you. You're probably in enough pain already". Duo stopped trying to move  
  
and started to sort out what exactly happened.  
  
He could sense that the voice had left. "Wait!" his brain called out. "I want to know what  
  
happens!". Duo could hear footsteps approaching his bed.  
  
"Hello Duo. I bet you want to know what's happening" a familiar voice said tonelessly. It  
  
was Heero.  
  
"Yes I do" Duo thought urgently.  
  
"You had to have surgery on your brain. It was swelling due to your severe concussion and it was blocking blood flow to and from it. The doctors also decided to fix the hairline  
  
fracture near your neck. You now have a permanent staple there so you'll get to set off  
  
metal detectors at airports now. Remind me not to travel with you anymore. You also had  
  
an infection starting to form between your broken bones so the doctors started pumping  
  
you full of antibiotics and you've been unconscious for 2 weeks now. Now, you're in  
  
intensive care but they'll move you out of here if you start to improve "Heero explained  
  
seriously.  
  
"But why can't I talk" Duo thought impatiently.  
  
"You can't talk because....because" Heero couldn't finish his sentence. This was the first  
  
time Duo had ever seen Heero speechless.  
  
"Because why?' Duo thought worriedly.  
  
"While they were trying to reduce the swelling in your brain, they accidentally damaged part of your brain" Heero replied softly. Seeing the worried look on Duo's face, Heero  
  
continued to speak. "Don't worry, you just lost your brains cells that told your brain how  
  
to speak. You just have to re-teach yourself. I'll help".  
  
"You? Mr. Silent?" Duo thought bitterly.  
  
"Hey, I do talk. Only when it's necessary though" Heero said defensively. Duo felt a breeze on the back of his neck.  
  
"That's weird. I've never felt a breeze on my neck before" Duo thought, reaching up with  
  
his hand to touch his neck.  
  
Heero's eyes widened as he watched Duo reach up to touch his neck. "Duo, there's  
  
something you should know" Heero replied hurriedly reaching out to stop Duo but it was  
  
too late.  
  
"My braid! Where did it go?" Duo thought frantically, looking to Heero for an answer  
  
when he didn't feel it there.  
  
"They had to cut it off in order to save you. They also had to shave your head" Heero  
  
explained quietly. Duo gasped and felt the top of his head. There was nothing there! Just a smooth surface. Duo let out a howl like a wounded animal and blacked out.  
  
  
  
Well, sorry for leaving it like this but... I don't know what to write. If anyone has any  
  
suggestions, please tell them to me in your reviews. Please don't kill me for cutting off  
  
Duo's braid. It will grow back! I promise!  
  
Please leave all flames at the front desk, with my muse, Quatre in flowing white angelic robes, and a halo. Not to mention feathery wings. Thank you, and come again.  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	7. Part 7

I'm sorry for not updating for awhile, but I've had writers block. But I've found a muse!!!! So, expect the chapters to be posted oftener now. Is that even a word? Anyways, I want to thank everyone for all the reviews, they encourage me to keep writing.  
  
Maoz-you're lying. You haven't posted anything because you got kicked off the computer  
  
*sighs* Meet my muse Maoz, he's very, um, rude.  
  
Maoz-just get on with the story  
  
Fine fine, Disclaimer-I don't own anything!!!  
  
Happy?  
  
Maoz-yes  
  
Okay, now on with the story. In the last chapter, Duo woke up and found out that he lost all his hair.  
*&&*&*7*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
Duo stared at the ceiling of his room, his eyes sliding in and out of focus. He didn't care about anything anymore. He didn't eat anymore or even try to get stronger. the doctors said he was allowed to sit up now, but what was the point? His braid, his pride and joy, was gone. He could remember the first time Sister Helen braided his hair. From then on, he had always kept it like that, in memory of her. That memory was gone now. He had begged Heero to bring him his black cap from his apartment to hide his bald head. The doctors had reassured him that his hair would grow back but he could never get his memories back.  
  
"You're being very stupid" a dull voice said from beside Duo. Duo didn't respond, or rather, he couldn't. He just kept staring at the ceiling, trying to focus his eyes on the little dots. "Why are you being so sentimental over a braid? It'll grow back" Heero commented tonelessly. No response. Heero sighed. "Duo, do you remember the feather? Just nod or shake your head. I know you can do that". Duo nodded very slowly. "Good, now do you remember how you felt when you held that feather?". Duo nodded again. "How did you feel?". Duo turned his head and shot a glare at Heero. The slightest of smiles appeared on Heero's face.  
  
"Good, I finally got you to look at me. Now, why don't you sit up and write your answer" Heero persuaded. Duo just looked away. "Fine. If you're going to be like that, I'll come back later" Heero retorted to Duo back as he left the room. Duo sighed. It wasn't like Heero to care this much. It was scary.  
  
"All I want to do is be left alone" Duo thought miserably. The nurse came in soon after that and removed his IV "What? Why are you doing this?' he thought curiously, glancing at her. The nurse pursed her lips.   
  
"The doctors think that if we remove the IV, you'll have more chance to get up and move around, which can make the healing process go faster. Also, you'll build up more of an appetite if you move around. A physiotherapist will becoming in about 2 hours for your first workout. Please cooperate with him" she explained tersely, and walked out of the room.  
  
Duo groaned inwardly. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Get up and move around. He didn't want to eat, he didn't want to move, he didn't want to learn how to talk again. Everyone else hated him, including himself.  
  
"This world would be better off without me" Duo concluded tearfully. He sniffed back the tears that were just waiting to fall down his thin, pale face. "I'm going to do it. There's nobody stopping me". Duo slowly snaked his hand over to his nightstand drawer. Before he had the operation, he had been planning something. Whenever the nurses gave him the pain pills, he pretended to swallow them and then when the nurses left, he spit them out and hid them in his nightstand drawer. He had about 20 or so and was saving them for the right occasion. His hand closed on the bundle that was wrapped up in Kleenex and brought it towards him. He reached for his glass of water but he never did reach it.  
  
"Don't do it Duo!" a voice from the doorway cried out urgently.  
  
Duo's reflexes were so jumpy now, that he knocked the cup off the table and it fell to the floor with a dull clunk, splashing water everywhere. "Please don't do it Duo. You have so much to live for" the voice called out again. Duo's mind was racing. That voice was so familiar. "Quatre?' Duo thought shakily.  
  
*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*  
  
Maoz-that was a short chapter  
  
Be Quiet Maoz. I didn't ask you  
  
Maoz- well, I am your muse  
  
*sighs* see what I have to put up with? Anyways, I'm sorry this chapter was short but the next one should be up soon. When you review, it makes me type faster. So please review.  
  
Maoz-she needs all the motivation she can get  
  
I give up!!  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	8. Part 8

Hey Everyone!  
I suppose everyone is wanting the next chapter but I need to take a poll first.  
  
1. How many people will be mad if I bring another person into the story? For example: Hilde, Trowa, Wufei, ect.   
  
2. How many people would like it if I made Quatre appear to Duo?  
  
3. How many people would like it if I just left Heero in the story and leave the others until later?  
  
4. How many people would like it to be a nurse and Duo just imagined Quatre's voice?  
  
5. How many people would like it if I just wrote whatever came into my head first?  
  
So, that's the poll. Please review with the answers OR e-mail me at elowin8@hotmail.com (my other address isn't working). Once I get enough reviews, I will write and post chapter eight. And that's a promise! Oh, Happy Valentine's Day!!!! (i don't really like the holiday but others might)  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	9. Part 9

Okay, Here's the long awaited part 9! I have decided to type what ever comes into my mind first. Oh my, this could be disaterious. EVERYONE DUCK!!!!! Okay, whew, that's over and here's the story!  
  
Maoz-.....*gets interupted*  
  
Disclaimer-I don't own the characters!!!  
  
Ha! Beat you to it this time Maoz!  
  
Maoz-*grumbles and turns to face the corner*  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
"Don't do it Duo!" a voice from the doorway cried out urgently.  
  
Duo's reflexes were so jumpy now, that he knocked the cup off the table and it fell to the floor with a dull clunk, splashing water everywhere. "Please don't do it Duo. You have so much to live for" the voice called out again. Duo's mind was racing. That voice was so familiar. "Quatre?' Duo thought shakily.  
  
"No, it's me" the voice replied shakily, entering the room so Duo could identify her.  
  
"Who could it be then?" Duo thought tearfully, as the tips of the person's shoes came into view. His curious eyes traveled upward to the person's face. He groaned inwardly. He did not need this right now, not another guilt trip.  
  
"Duo, please say that my eyes were playing tricks on me" Hilde pleaded, approaching the metallic hospital bed. Duo turned his head away, not wanting Hilde to see his tear filled eyes. "Were you really going to do it? Were you really going to take your own life?". Duo didn't reply.   
  
"Maybe if I concentrate really hard on this spot, she'll go away" Duo thought nervously.  
Hilde sat down in the chair beside Duo's bed and smiled.  
  
"You're still the stubborn Duo we've all gotten to know and love. And don't think you can fool me with this silent treatment. I've been talking to Heero and I know perfectly well you can get your point across and you have a dry erase board here to write stuff on" Hilde explained softly.  
  
"Damn you Heero" Duo thought angrily, mentally forcing his tears back. Hilde's voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.  
  
"I'm not here to give you a guilt trip either. And before you ask why, it's not your fault that Quatre died. It's just going to take awhile for the others to realize that. They're even more stubborn then you" she continued.  
  
"Well, gee. You could of told me that all over the phone so why did you drag yourself here to see poor pitiful me?' Duo thought sarcastically. Hilde sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.  
  
"I didn't call you on the phone because I have something to tell you and it wouldn't be right to tell you this over the phone: Hilde explained sadly. Duo finally found the courage to face Hilde. She smiled softly. "Now, that's better. I don't like speaking to people's backs. I'm here to tell you that I don't blame you for the accident. The driver of the truck has already been put in jail. And I have to tell you that I'm going to be moving in a few days, to England".  
  
At first, Duo thought his ears were deceiving him. "What, you're moving why?" he thought worriedly.  
  
"I'm moving to spend some more time with my family. My dad's not too well and my mom could use some help" Hilde replied quietly. Duo's giant cobalt eyes softened.  
  
"I'm sorry" he thought helplessly. Hilde stifled a giggle.  
  
"Don't worry. It's not your fault and it's not like they're on their deathbed or anything. I just want to spend some more time with them" Hilde replied cheerfully. Duo had finally had enough. Furious, he picked up the dry erase board that was by his bed and scribbled a message.  
  
"How does everyone know what I'm thinking!! Do I have a big neon sign over my head telling you all this?". That was Duo's message. Once again, Hilde had to stifle a laugh. "No, nothing like that Duo. But your face is so readable. Every emotion you've feeling, we can see and it's not that hard to guess you questions" she explained gently. Duo sighed and shrugged his shoulders.   
  
"I have to go now Duo. I'll be in touch when I get there. Try and get better. Don't give up your life this easily. The first step is, to forgive your self" she said, a single tear running down her cheek as she gave Duo a gentle hug and walked out of the room. Duo stared after her, a single tear also running down his pale thin cheek.   
  
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything" Duo thought worriedly as he noticed yet another person enter the room. The person he really didn't want to see. The therapist.  
  
*******************  
Okay, before you all kill me for writing yet another short chapter, the next one will be out by the 24th at the latest. I have it all planned out in my head, it's just the process of transferring the ideas from my head to the computer. *sighs*. This time at least, my muse isn't yelling at me to write more.  
  
Maoz-jjadfjhakjsdfhjdfhjdf  
  
*grins evilly* It's amazing what you can do with duck tape, anyways, please review!!! I love getting them!  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	10. Part 10

Okay, here's part 10, like I promised! Hopefully, this one will be longer but who knows how my brain works. Oh, Thanx to all the people that reviewed this story. I really appreciate it.  
  
Disclaimer-I have one question, who invented these stupid things!!!! Anyways, I don't own anything blah, blah, blah  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
Duo warily eyed the therapist as he entered the room, so sure of himself. He slowly walked over to the bed, where Duo lay, eyeing him. "Hello, you're just the person I'm looking for. The name's John" John said grinning. "And you must be Duo". John was around 6'3 and had shaggy blonde hair. He was so skinny, it was ridicules. Since Duo could respond, he just looked away. John sighed. "Why do I always have to get the stubborn ones?" he thought then replied "don't you dare turn your back to me Duo Maxwell. I'm not here to take pity on you so just haul that lazy butt of yours out of bed".  
  
Duo choose to ignore this remark and tried to concentrate on anything but the process of getting up. "Alright, don't say I warned you though" John replied to Duo's back as he came closer. John leaned over and picked Duo up off the bed. Duo let out a surprised squak as John started walking towards the doorway. John gave him a lopsided grin. "I don't look that strong, do I? But I am and since you've decided not to cooperate, I'm going to have to carry you down to the therapy room like a little child" he explained cheerfully. Duo, finally realizing what was going on, tried pushing John away but it wasn't that easy. John was alot stronger than he was and Duo was so weak. Still, he kept on trying. John, still smiling, stopped half way between the door and the bed. "So, you do have some fight in you. Feel up to walking the rest of the way?" he suggested happily. Duo frantically shook his head. He knew he wasn't ready for anything like that. John pretended to think hard for a few moments.  
  
"Hmmmm, you don't want to be carried but you're not strong enough to walk. How are we going to get down to the therapy room? Any ideas Duo?" John asked, looking completely stumped. Duo forced his brain to think. Suddenly, he was hit with a great idea. He frantically reached for his dry erase board. John caught on to the idea and brought Duo back to the bed. Duo quickly grabbed the board and scribbled his message.  
  
"How about a wheelchair?". John's face lit up with yet another smile.   
  
"Good idea Duo. I'll be right back with your chariot" John replied and left the room. Duo smiled. Then realized what he was doing. He carefully brought a hand up to his face and ran it across his smile. It seemed so foreign to smile. He hadn't smiled since the accident. At that moment, John returned, pushing a worn looking wheelchair infront of him. Duo eyed it doubtfully.  
  
"I know what you're thinking. It doesn't look like much, but it's actually pretty sturdy so hop in" John explained knowingly. Duo glared at him. He was getting pretty good at perfecting his death glare. But Heero's glare still surpassed his by infinity. John whacked himself lightly on the head. "What was I thinking. You're much too weak to walk to it by yourself. I'll move it closer" he said helpfully, moving the chair just an inch closer.  
  
"Come on. You have got to be kidding. I can't walk that far" Duo thought angrily. John noticed that Duo wasn't moving and moved the chair another inch closer. Duo still refused to move. John sighed. He moved the chair just another inch closer. Duo finally got frustrated and scribbled another message. John read it outloud.   
  
"I can't walk. I don't know how" John read slowly. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Have you even tried?" John asked coyly. Duo's jaw dropped.  
  
"This guy is crazy!" Duo thought logically but then realized, he hadn't tried to walk. He had just taken the doctors word for it that he wouldn't be able to walk again. But maybe, just maybe. Duo used his arms to push himself from his sitting position to a standing one. He wasn't up for one second when his legs gave out. John was right there to catch him though. He gently carried Duo over to the waiting wheelchair.  
  
Once Duo was settled, John went behind to push it. As he was taking off the brakes, he tried to start up another conversation. "That was a good try Duo. I admit that when I first came in here, I thought you would want to do anything. But I was wrong. You have a fiery spirit and I admire that. I probably had you thinking that I was crazy" John said, starting to push Duo out of the room.  
  
"That's for sure" Duo replied mentally. He pointed to his dry erase board and John put it on Duo's lap.  
  
"Of course. You'll need that to write all the important tips I'm going to give you on how to pick up girls. But you gotta promise not to throw it at me if you get mad" John warned. Duo grinned and quickly wrote a message. John quickly read it and started to laugh. Duo had wrote: I prefer to fling it like a Frisbee so watch out. Suddenly, John stopped pushing the chair and just stood in the middle of the hall. Duo, completely puzzled, quickly scrawled another message. It read: What's wrong?. John just gave Duo one of his famous lopsided grins.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I just thought of a new way to put your stubbornness to work" he replied happily. The very confused look on Duo's face made him continue. "Let's see how strong your arms are. Try pushing yourself down the hall" John challenged. Duo scowled. John had a way of making sure he would accept the challenge. With a look of pure determination on Duo's thin face, he grabbed the wheels and started rolling himself down the hall. Slowly but surely, he made his way down the many white halls. By the time he got to the therapy room, he was sweaty and tired but he had done it by himself.  
  
John came infront of him and put the brakes on. "Now, time for the torture, er, I mean fun. Let's see you stand up" he challenged yet again. For the third time that day, Duo's face broke out in a grin. Handing John his dry erase board, he gave another valiant effort to stand up. His legs gave out after 2 seconds that time and he had to sit back down. Well, collapse in the chair was more like it. Duo growled and tried again.  
  
Later that night, when Duo got back to his room and into his bed, his legs and arms felt like wet spaghetti noodles and he hurt all over but he felt better that he had all week, spiritual wise that is. Duo was right in the process of eating his supper when Heero entered the room. Duo looked up and grinned at the stoic boy and went back to eating. Heero was taken back. He hadn't seen Duo smile for nearly 3 months now.  
  
"I take it your afternoon went well" Heero commented nonchalantly, sitting down. Duo just nodded and continued eating. He was very hungry from his busy afternoon. He had actually stood by himself for a total of 10 seconds. "Aren't you eating a little fast" Heero said uneasily. Duo shook his head and reached for his dry erase board. He wrote something down and held it up for Heero to read. Heero read it outloud. Duo wrote: I had a very busy afternoon. "Well, what did you do?" Heero asked curiously. Duo's grin widened as he wrote the answer. He held it up for Heero to read. It read: I learned how to pick up girls from wheelchair. The bewildered look on Heero's face made Duo start laughing silently. As Heero tried to speak, Duo started to laugh harder. This was the first time he had ever seen Heero speechless. As Heero tried to speak again, Duo let out a real laugh, one that could be heard all over the ward.  
  
3 days later, Duo was nearly bouncing out of his wheelchair. John was standing behind him, holding his bags. Heero had gone to get his car. "You work hard at rehab Duo and I might come to visit you" John said happily. Duo's world came crashing down on him as he heard those words. Rehab, Duo thought he was going home, instead, it was to more pain and torture, without John to egg him on. "How could my life get any worse than this" Duo thought miserably as John pushed the wheelchair outside. Little did he know that he was about to find out.  
  
**********************************  
  
Sorry for leaving it off like that but I'm getting kicked off the computer. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. It'll all depend on how many reviews I get. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, so, that's some good news. Please review  
  
Oh, I almost forgot. Does anyone know where I can find a good muse? Mine seems to be scared of me.  
  
Maoz-she's a maniac!!  
  
I have no clue what he's talking about, so don't listen to him  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	11. Part 11

Hey! Here's part 11 now. I'll tell everyone ahead of time that this will be the last chapter for 2-3 weeks because I'm going to Europe for March Break! So, I'm doing my best to get out a new chapter in all my fics before I leave next Thursday. There's probably going to be around 5 more chapters in this one before it's done. Without further ado, here it is...  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
Maoz-You forgot the disclaimer  
  
I thought you were leaving..  
  
Maoz-Um, this is a dream. I am not real.....  
  
*blinks* Who's the one that's crazy now?  
  
Disclaimer-Okay, for one final time: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! If I did, I wouldn't be writing on ff.net, at least, I don't think I would... Hmmm, I'll have tot think about that. But, I'll write the chapter first  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
3 days later, Duo was nearly bouncing out of his wheelchair. John was standing behind him, holding his bags. Heero had gone to get his car. "You work hard at rehab Duo and I might come to visit you" John said happily. Duo's world came crashing down on him as he heard that word. Rehab, Duo thought he was going home, instead, it was to more pain and torture, without John to egg him on. "How could my life get any worse than this" Duo thought miserably as John pushed the wheelchair outside. Little did he know that he was about to find out.  
  
Heero got out of the car and went around to help John. Since Heero didn't have the experience in helping Duo, John decided to tag along to get Duo settled in Snow Top rehabilitation residence. Duo was no longer happy. He was anything but happy. He had wanted to go home, and sleep in his own bed, not to mention play practical jokes on Wufei.  
Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Dorothy, Relena, and Hilde were his best friends in the whole wide world. Well, Duo wasn't sure about Trowa, Wufei, Dorothy, or Relena any more. John pushed his wheelchair closer to the car and started to lift Duo out of it and into the backseat. This was accomplished surprisingly easily because Duo was lost in his own thoughts. Heero got in the drivers side and John hopped into the passengers side. Heero started the car up again and drove off towards the highway.  
  
When the accident had happened, it had been August. Now, it was late November. Duo stared blankly at the fast changing senary as the car accelerated. Almost all the trees had lost their leaves and there was a hint of snow in the air. But today, a light drizzle had decided to fall down out of the charcoal gray clouds. The color of the clouds suited Duo's mood perfectly, dark and stormy. "I don't want to go to rehab. I can get better at home. I don't want to go to a knew place" Duo thought angrily, clenching his teeth. His pelvic bone wasn't fully healed yet and it was starting to ache.   
  
John was trying to start up a conversation with Heero but it wasn't working very well. The stoic boy just stared at the road. Suddenly, a chipmunk ran out infront of the car and Heero had to stop short. This startled Duo immensely. As the car slowed to a stop, he got a flash back.  
  
*flashback*  
He pushed down hard on the brake, to try and prevent the inevitable. The headlights blinded the 2 as the truck grew closer and closer, not slowing down at all.   
  
"Please lord, help us" The passenger pleaded, silent tears running down his cheeks. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The car met the truck head on. The sickening sound of metal scarping metal echoed through the night and the car seemed to fold up like a flimsy piece of paper. Screams could be heard coming from the car. The driver tried to reach his friend but a sharp pain in his back prevented all his movements. The mangled car came to a stop.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
The car had come to a complete stop now and the innocent little chipmunk scooted off the road and into the bushes. Unlike the car, Duo's heart was racing. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears and all his muscles tense up waiting for the crash to happen. As if mother nature had felt his mood, the rain started pouring down even harder and Heero scowled at the furry beast hidden in the bushes. "That little bugger" he muttered and started the car moving again. Duo couldn't calm down for some reason thought. He gulped for air but didn't seem to get any. He felt as though he was choking on fear. John quickly glanced at Duo in the back to see if he was alright. Duo looked at John with pleading eyes and John seemed to get the message.  
  
"Heero, stop the car now" He barked. Heero obeyed, hearing the urgency in John's voice. John turned back to Duo, his facial expression calm. "Duo, listen to me. I need you to calm down. I can't help you if you don't" he said in a deadly calm voice. All the noises around Duo seemed to be magnified by 100. The ran drops on the roof, the car motor. He could still feel the tires humming against the wet pavement, even though they weren't moving anymore. The sound of the rain made Duo panic even more and he brought his hand up to his chest to prevent is rapidly racing heart from breaking out of his chest. "Duo, we're not going to have an accident. You're perfectly safe. Listen to my voice not the noises around you. Take deep breathes. Your heart's not going to leap out of your skin so put your hand down" John said soothingly. The deeper Duo breathed, the more he seemed to choke. John grimaced and made a quick dive for his water bottle and then fished something out of his pocket. "Duo, take this" John said sternly, handing Duo a small yellow capsule and the water bottle. Duo reached out with a shaky hand and took the objects. He popped the pill into his mouth and took a long drink. The pill worked instantly and Duo's heart slowed to normal and he caught his breath.   
  
"That's right. Nothing to worry about. Do you think we can start driving again?" John asked gently. Duo nodded and relaxed against the seat. He reached up with one hand and wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Sleep stole over him in warm waves. Whatever had just happened, had wore him out immensely. His eyelids drooped several times, then closed completely, falling into a dreamless sleep.  
  
*A.N-if I was really evil, I would leave it off there, but, since I'm going to Europe, this is going to be an extra long chapter to replace the ones I would of typed during march break. Back to the fic*  
  
  
  
  
John stole another glance at Duo. For the first time since the hospital, Heero took his eyes off the road to look at John. "What happened to him?" he asked nervously, directing his gaze back to the rain covered road. John sighed.  
  
"It was a panic attack. It wouldn't of been so bad if it wasn't raining. It's completely normal for Duo. You see, he was relieving the accident and from what I've read, it wasn't a pretty one" John explained quietly. Heero nodded in agreement. "It's hard to believe that anyone survived from what I saw too" John added. Again, Heero nodded in agreement. He stole a quick glance at Duo, then focused on driving again.  
  
"He has a long road infront of his, doesn't he?" Heero asked curiously.  
  
"Yes, and an unbelievably painful one too. Learning how to walk again isn't a picnic. I had to do it too" John admitted.  
  
"What? What happened to you?" Heero exclaimed quietly. John gave a small smile.  
  
"It was a swimming accident. I was around 12 and somebody dared me to do a flip off the highest diving board. I was known as one to never back down from a dare so I did it. The plank was wet and I slipped, I hit my back on the plank and it all went down hill from there. When I landed in the water, I was unconscious and my legs were broken in 12 places each. Needless to say, I went through almost the same torture as Duo will be going through" John said sadly. "Except, my best friend didn't die".  
  
Duo woke up a few hours later in a strange bed. He frantically looked around for something he recognized and his eyes fell on Heero, sitting beside his bed. "Heero, where am I?" Duo thought nervously.  
  
"Calm down Duo, you're at rehab" Heero replied tonelessly. Duo slowly sat up and took a good look around what was going to be his home for the next few months. The furniture was simple. There was another bed across the room with rumpled sheets, indicating that Duo had a room mate. There was a dark wood nightstand beside each bed with cream colored lamps on top. There was also a metal glass and water pitcher and beside that was a Kleenex box. There was something abnormal about the room though. There seemed to be funny looking metal contraptions beside each of the beds and Duo noticed a door on the other side that most likely led to a bathroom.  
  
"I wonder where John is?" Duo thought curiously as he stretched out his stiff arms. Heero seemed to know what he was thinking and answered his question.  
  
"John is downstairs getting you checked in and your room mate is at a workout right now" Heero grunted. Duo just glared at Heero. It was like he could read Duo's mind or something. "Why don't you try talking. It would make your life a whole lot easier" Heero suggested. Before Duo could think a reply, a voice from the doorway answered his suggestion.  
  
"It would damage his voice box permentaly if he started talking again with proper teaching and therapy". The voice stepped into the room. Duo sighed inwardly. Just what he needed. Another therapist, and to make matters worse, it was a girl.  
  
*A.N-Duo has nothing against girls, it's just that he doesn't want to seem helpless infront of one*  
  
"Hi, my name is Damio but you can call me Dami. Whoops, I forgot that you couldn't talk. Well, Wasn't that silly of me. And I presume you are Mr. Duo Maxwell, a.k.a., the stubborn one?" Damio replied happily. Duo just glared, and glared. Damio giggled. "Well, I got the stubborn part right at least but from the looks of it, your friend is even more stubborner than you" she replied cheerfully, coming closer to the bed. Duo quickly took in her appearance. She was average height, maybe around 5'7 and she had curly brownish hair that went just past her shoulders. With her piercing green eyes, it looked as though nothing could slip past her. She was skinny and wore comfortably clothes. John chose that moment to enter the room. Seeing Damio, he came and put his arm around her.  
  
"Hey Duo. I see you've met my baby sister. I've got to go now but I'll come back and visit. Don't be too hard on him Dami" John said happily, then left the room. Damio grinned and turned back to Duo, her eyes glinting evilly.   
  
"We are going to have lots of fun together" she replied mysteriously. Duo gulped. His life was getting very interesting.  
  
********  
There we go. Have fun musing about what's going to happen next while I'm relaxing in Paris and London! Hope everyone has a good march break!!!  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	12. Part 12

Hi everyone, I back from Europe! I had a great time and 50 million more ideas. I was planning on getting this chapter out before I left and I almost had it all typed and then, my computer performed an illegal operation and I lost all my work! Grrrrr. Do, here's another attempt to write this chapter and I'm going to be concentrating on this fic until it's finished. There's only going to be a few more chapters. I'm a little depressed tonite so if this chapter gets a little depressing, that's why.  
  
Maoz-*comes in with a bunch of people* this is the author on bid. Let's start the bidding at 1 cent.  
  
Wait a minute!@! I'm for sale?!?!?!?!?!?  
  
Maoz- I see 1 cent, do I hear 2???  
  
I'm going to have to talk to him...  
  
Disclaimer-I don't own anything!  
  
One Fateful Night  
  
"Hey Duo. I see you've met my baby sister. I've got to go now but I'll come back and visit. Don't be too hard on him Dami" John said happily, then left the room. Damio grinned and turned back to Duo, her eyes glinting evilly.   
  
"We are going to have lots of fun together" she replied mysteriously. Duo gulped. His life was getting very interesting.  
  
"Hmm, I guess we should start with a tour of this lovely building since you have to navigate yourself to the lunch room" Damio mused. Duo's eyes perked up at the thought of lunch. He smiled brilliantly as if to say "lead the way!". Damio turned to Heero.  
  
" You're welcome to stay for lunch if you want" Damio said graciously.  
  
"Hn" Heero grunted and stood up. Damio leaned in towards Duo.  
  
"Man, is he always this cheerful?" she asked secretly. Duo shook his head. Damio grinned. "Then, I'd hate to see him when he's in a bad mood". Duo's frail body shook with silent laughter. Heero shot his famous death glare at the two and Damio giggled. "Time to get you out of bed". It was Duo's turn to glare at her. She looked at him in mock surprise. "Are you telling me that you've spent 4 days working out with my brother and he hasn't taught you how get out of bed yet?". Duo nodded. "Well, we're are going to have to change that. Sit up" she commanded. Duo sat up.  
  
"How long is this going to take" a new voice called out from behind Heero. Heero jumped in surprise as someone prodded him in his back. Heero jumped out of the way to let a small wheelchair zoom past him. The speedy chair came to a stop in the middle of the room and Duo's jaw dropped in amazement. He had never seen anything move that fast before. Damio smiled again.  
  
"Hi Jade! Meet Duo Maxwell a.k.a. the stubbornator" Damio introduced cheerfully.   
  
"Hiya Duo! I can show you the ropes around here. I've been here for 7 months now and I know every little trick" Jade replied happily. Duo just grinned for a reply. "Oh, can't talk either eh? Well, any time you need something said, just ask Damio. She has the fastest talking mouth in the west" Jade replied solemnly. Damio blushed.  
  
"I'm not that bad" she mumbled, looking down. Duo's stomach growled as if to say "I need food". Jade and Damio laughed as it was Duo's turn to blush. Heero sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "Would you like to teach Duo?" Damio asked Jade. Duo eyed Jade doubtfully. She was a tiny girl with short blonde hair and misty gray eyes. She had an impish nose and strong looking arms.  
  
"Hey, I may be small but I'm strong" Jade said defensively. She wheeled over to Duo's bed and flexed. Duo reached out with a finger and poked the muscle that formed. He gasped, it was as hard as a rock. "Believe me now?" she said angrily.  
  
"Whoa, calm down Jade. He wasn't insulting you. Remember, your temper is what got you into this mess" Damio warned. Jade dropped her guard.  
  
"Sorry stubbornator. I didn't mean to get mad. It wasn't your fault" Jade apologized sincerely. Duo grabbed his dry erase board and wrote something down on it. Damio read it outloud.  
  
"Please call me Duo" she read, "okay, we can do that". Duo smiled then grabbed his stomach as it let out a particularly loud growl. He turned his pleading cobalt eyes on Jade who got his message.  
  
"I've got to know what's wrong with you before I can help you get out of bed" Jade said knowingly. She turned her chair around to face Heero. "Hey Mr. Silent, can you tell me what's wrong?".  
  
"Hn" Heero grunted again. Jade rolled her eyes and turned back to the group.   
  
"Dami?"  
  
"Oh, broken pelvic bone and hairline fracture near top of the spine" Damio supplied helpfully. Jade nodded.  
  
"Okay Duo, grab hold of this loop and swing your legs off the bed" Jade instructed. Duo reached up and grab the loop and carefully swung his legs over. "Now, if Dami can bring over your horse ,er, chair over, you just pull yourself up, and plop your self in" Jade finished. Dami brought Duo's chair over wordlessly and Duo got himself into it no problem. "Wow, you're good. It took me 4 days to learn how to do that" Jade commented amazedly. Duo's grin brightened up the room. He did a wheelie and rolled out of the room.  
  
"Um, Duo, you don't know where the caf is!" Dami called to Duo's retreating back.   
  
"I'll catch up with him" Jade offered and followed Duo out of the room. Damio was about to follow them when Heero stopped her.  
  
"I need to know now. Will her ever walk again?" Heero asked seriously. Dami glanced around the room.  
  
"I can't guarantee anything but I'll try my hardest to help him as much as I can" she whispered. Heero nodded solemnly, then walked out of the room. Damio followed visibly shaken up. "The hardest part will be accepting the truth" she thought, then exited the room herself.  
  
Duo finally rolled into the caf, panting for breath. He and Jade had a race and he had lost miserably. Jade rolled up to him, grinning evilly. "Told ya you wouldn't win" she said happily. Duo growled. "Aw, stop being such a grumpy pants. Let's go and meet the others!" she cried, zooming off. Duo shook his head and followed at a slower pace. He stopped at a table with 5 other people around it, almost all of them seated in wheelchairs.  
  
"Hey guys, this is Duo" Jade introduced cheerfully.  
  
"Hey Duo! You must be my new roommate. The name's Justin" a rather gangly boy said. He was fairly tall with jet black hair and warm brown eyes. Duo noticed the horrific scars covering Justin's face. As is on cue, Justin's hand traveled up and traced a particularly ugly one. "Not a pretty site but I'm lucky to still be alive. Here's a helpful tip. If you ever go skydiving, always make sure you have a parachute" Justin explained sheepishly. Duo grimaced. He then turned to a girl sitting beside Justin.  
  
"Hi, my name's Kendra" she said softly. Kendra had fluffy honey colored hair that went just past her ears. Her distant turquoise eyes seemed to have great sadness in them. She seemed to be average height. She looked up at Duo. "I was involved in a drug shoot out. I was just walking by and didn't notice the stray bullet. My little brother was killed" Kendra said sadly. Justin put a comforting arm around her.  
  
"It's okay Kendra. Talking about it always helps" he said soothingly. Kendra sniffed.  
  
"I know" she replied gravely. Duo's gaze fell onto a short boy with messy red hair and tons of freckles.  
  
"My name's Patrick but you can call me Paddy. I was water-skiing when the boat decided to have a little rendevue with some cliffs" he explained impishly. "I was, um, to put it gently, thrown out of the water and kissed the cliffs. I was lucky to walk out with no scars" Paddy said jokingly, his ice blue eyes sparkling. Duo couldn't help it. He started to grin. Paddy made everything seem so comical. The person next to him was sitting in a chair.  
  
"I am called Rose" Rose replied cheerfully. Justin rolled his eyes.  
  
"Rose is, er, was training to be an actress" he explained. Rose stuck out her lower lip.  
  
"What makes you think that I can't still be an actress? I was hiking in the woods and was so preoccupied with learning my lines, I didn't notice the cliff" she admitted sheepishly. Duo tried to hold back smile but it was working to well. "I'm almost outta here though. After 15 months, I'm finally going home, well, I think I am at least. I got a few more months at least. I just transferred to braces so I get tired easily. When I do, I just hijack a wheelchair to take me back to my room" Rose said cheerfully. She also had red hair and freckles. Her ringlets traveled half way down her back and her jade green eyes looked warm and comforting. She leaned in closer to the table. "You wanna see something?" she whispered. Duo nodded. She reached up and ripped off her hair! Duo let out a surprise eep and leaned back in his chair. Rose just laughed. Duo noticed that Rose's head was covered with crisscrossed scars. She settled the wig back on her head. "They had to shave my head for stitches/staples but it's with grow back" she said nonchalantly. Duo tugged his baseball cap so that is was securely on his head. He wasn't ready to proclaim baldness yet.  
  
There was another person sitting beside him. Another girl with chestnut brown hair that fell down to her shoulders. She looked up at him with yellow eyes like a cat. "My name's Sydney" Sydney replied cheerfully. She was fairly short with a pale face. "I was in a sledding accident. Trust me, pavement is not a good cushion" Sydney advised.  
  
"I'll take that into consideration" Duo thought, then turned to Jade. She gave him a look.  
  
"What? You already know my name" she snapped. Paddy reached out and patted Jade's hand.  
  
"He wants to know what happened to you" he said gently. Duo nodded in agreement.  
  
"Fine. It was my first time skiing and my friends were being bitchey so I decided to ski away from them. I skied into an avalanche zone and my friend's yelling at me triggered one and I got caught. It pushed me into several trees on the way and I finally came to a harsh stop against the engine of the ski lift, happy?" Jade said hurriedly. Duo could tell that she was blinking back tears. "I'm not hungry anymore" she mumbled and wheeled herself away.  
  
Seeing Duo's confused look, Justin took charge. "Don't worry about Jade. She doesn't like talking about her accident because it reminds her of her future" Justin explained seriously. "You see, Jade broke her back in 2 places and the didn't heal right so she had to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. She gets a bit grumpy sometimes but that's to be expected. She sees all of us getting better and there's most likely no hope for her. She tries to hide it but sometimes it's just too much" Justin said sadly. Duo then glanced around the caf and saw a person, sitting by himself. He had a mop of brown, shaggy hair and was slightly over weight. Rose followed his gaze then quickly adverted her gaze, gesturing for Duo to do the same.  
  
"That's Sam. He's a loner. Well, a troublemaker would be a better word. He was driving drunk and killed his girlfriend on the night of the prom. He gave up trying to get better and he's just here until his insurance runs out. Don't stare at him. He'll just get mad at you" Rose whispered.  
  
Duo's thoughts were interrupted by Damio bringing over 8 trays of food on a cart. "So, who wants lunch?" she asked cheerfully. Everyone groaned.  
  
"Oh yes, I just can't wait to eat this yummy cafeteria food!" Paddy said sarcastically, taking the tray from Damio. Damio gave a small smile, and passed a tray of food to Duo. He took it and stared down at what was supposed to be roast beef.   
  
"Um, Dami? What is this supposed to be?" Justin asked tentivally, poking a white glob. Damio glared at him.  
  
"That is supposed to be um......um..... To tell you the truth, I really don't know" Dami confessed sheepishly. Rose poked her fork into a mound of green slime carefully.  
  
"I can see why you don't" Rose said, looking grossed out. Dami picked up the second last tray and held it out. When nobody took it, she glanced around the table.  
  
"Where's Jade?" she demanded angrily. Everyone froze. Justin looked up, with a look of complete shock on his face.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot. She stormed out of here 10 minutes ago. She was really angry" he explained hurriedly. Damio's anger grew.  
  
"How could you let her!! I hope she doesn't do anything stupid" Dami growled and ran out of the caf. Justin turned back to his lunch, shaking.  
  
"How could I have forgotten? I'm so stupid sometimes" Justin whispered.   
  
"It's alright Justin. We all forgot too. She's just been so happy lately, I thought the danger had passed too" Kendra added softly. Duo's gaze circled the table, looking for an explanation. Sydney saw Duo doing this and jumped to his aid.  
  
"Jade's been on a suicide watch for a week now. Ever since her so called friends came to visit her. Apparently, they're big on guilt trips and Jade decided to take her life into her own hands but luckily Justin caught her and stopped her".  
  
"I don't believe it. I would of never thought it" Duo thought surprisedly. The group went back to eating their lunch silently. Duo's mind was racing. He was being introduced to a new community, a very serious, dark community, where life could almost be determined at the snap of a finger. Damio came storming back 20 minutes later, and sat down hard in a chair. She was obviously furious with someone.  
  
"What's wrong Dami?" Paddy asked worriedly.  
  
"Oh, I could just kill Sam" Dami growled. Kendra patted her arm sympathetically.  
  
"Don't let him get to you. He's going to be out of here soon and then we won't have to worry about him" Justin said soothingly. Dami gave a small smile.  
  
"Thanks guys" she replied gratefully.  
  
"Let me guess, he had something to do with Jade's anger?" Paddy guessed knowingly. Dami sighed.  
  
"You've got it. She's fine now. She's in her room right now. Apparently, she's Sam's new target and you know how easy she can get angry" Dami explained. She opened her mouth to speak again but a piercing bell interrupted her. She stood up and started clearing the trays away. "Time for therapy guys!". There was wide spread groaning. "Aw, come on guys. At least you have me to work with you!".  
  
"That's why we're groaning" Paddy muttered. Dami narrowed her eyes.  
  
"For that comment, you're first today Paddy" she replied sweetly. Paddy gulped and joined the herd of people exiting the caf. Everyone else followed him. Duo, unsure of what to do, glanced up at Damio. "You don't have to go to therapy today but just wait until tomorrow". Duo gulped and started to move away.  
  
"Wait Duo. I just want to tell you that you have a really great friend out there and he's the one that stopped Jade from doing anything stupid. He has a way with words. Jade's in room 209 if you want to talk" Damio said seriously, then smiled. "I must go torture, I mean treat my lovely patients" and with that, she walked out of the room.  
  
"Heero? Good with words? Who would of ever thought?" Duo thought amazedly as he wheeled himself out of the caf. The chocolate haired boy was leaning against a wall but when he saw Duo, he came over.  
  
  
  
"I have to go now, but I'll be back to visit you on the weekend. Who knows? I might get Trowa or Wufei out here too. Take care of yourself" Heero grunted and turned to walk out the main door.  
  
"Thanks Heero" Duo thought warmly. To his surprise, Heero turned around and gave Duo a tiny smile, then walked the rest of the way out. Duo turned his chair to the elevator. As the door to the elevator closed, Duo let out a shuddering sigh. He was alone now. It was all up to him. He reached floor 2 and turned to read the signs. Rooms 200-220 were to the right. Holding his left hand on one wheel, he turned and went to visit Jade.   
  
"Room 205, 207, 209!"Duo read and turned to go into the room. Jade was there. her small back was facing the door. She seemed to be staring out the window at the brightly colored fall leaves. It had been just the beginning of summer when the one...fateful....night had happened. Now it was almost winter. Duo shook his head clear of these thoughts, and wheeled himself into the room.  
  
"Hello Duo" Jade replied solemnly as he wheeled up beside her. "How are you?".  
  
"I'm fine" Duo replied silently in his head but he gave Jade a bright smile. She gave him a sad one.   
  
"Sorry for getting so mad earlier. You were just curious" Jade apologized sincerely.   
  
"It's okay" Duo replied in his head. He glanced over at her little portable radio as the song ended.  
  
"So, what did happened to you?" Jade asked suddenly, just as the announcer was announcing the new song.  
  
"This next song is still number one on the charts. Ladies and Gentlemen, here it is. One Week by the BareNaked Ladies!" the voice said happily.  
  
"Oh no, please don't take me back there" Duo pleaded. His blood seem to freeze in his veins as the song started to play.   
  
*flashback*  
  
Sirens flashed, and the cold rain splattered the earth and tangled mess of metal, making a hollow sound.  
  
"Hang on buddy, you can make it!" Duo cried, wiping stray, wet hairs from his face. Quatre smiled softly, then grimaced in pain.  
  
"It's over for me Duo. Having a big heart didn't help me this time. Damn metal. But don't worry. I'll always be watching over you" Quatre whispered, then his eyes closed for good.  
  
"Quatre!!! QUATRE!!!! WAKE UP!" Duo screamed frantically.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
"It'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry"  
  
This line snapped Duo back to the present and he let out a howl of pain.   
  
"Oh my god! What's wrong Duo?" Jade cried frantically. Tears coursed done his as he reached over and jerked the radio out of it's plug. He let out another howl. That one line kept playing in his head.  
  
"It'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry"  
  
"Duo, please tell me what's wrong?" Jade pleaded fearfully. Duo had to get out of the room. He blindly wheeled his chair out of the room and somehow found his way into his. He pulled himself onto the bed roughly and shoved his head under the pillow, not caring about the jolts of pain it sent through his spine and neck. The line still haunted him.  
  
"It'll still be 2 days till I say I'm sorry"  
  
"Just leave me alone! I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Duo thought tearfully. Suddenly, he tensed. There was another person in the room. He slowly uncovered his head and looked up. There was Quatre. Standing there in flowing white robes, with a sad expression on his face. Duo blinked several times to make sure that Quatre was real. When he didn't disappear and Duo saw a single tear roll down his angelica face, he sat up completely.  
  
"Duo, you must listen to me" Quatre whispered tearfully.  
  
**&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&&*  
  
Eep, what a bad spot to leave it. I hope I don't have an angry mob after me.  
  
Maoz-I hear $5, do I hear $6? I hear $10, do I hear $11?  
  
*makes puppy dog eyes* I'm worth more than $11, aren't I?  
  
Maoz- I hear $100!  
  
Yeah! Wait a minute! You can't auction me off! Somebody help me!!!  
  
Wishful Thinker 


	13. Part 13

Hey everyone! This chapter had been causing me a lot of trouble. Well, not the end or the middle, just the beginning. I've rewritten the beginning about 10 times now and I still don't like it but I'm posting it anyways. It might change later on but I have a feeling that some people want to know what's going to happen. There's only going to be 6 more chapters. That all depends on how long I type them though, so it could be less. I want to thank all of my reviewers. This story couldn't have happened without you. That's it with the mushy stuff now, on with the fic!

Maoz- I've got $102; do I hear $110?

By the way, I'm still looking for a muse…

Maoz- I've got $110; do I hear $120?

This is not right…

Disclaimer-I think everyone should know by now that I…DON"T OWN ANYTHING!

Oh, one last thing before I go on, I re-read my chapters and I realized that I never mentioned how old they were. Now, it may not bug some people, but it's bugging me. So I'll put them in!

Duo, Heero, Quatre, and all the gundam people I borrowed-16

Damio-20

John-25

Jade, Kendra-15

Justin-16

Sydney-14

Paddy, Sam, Rose-17

I think I've got everyone but if I've missed anyone, please tell me

One Fateful Night

"Duo, you must listen to me" Quatre said seriously, taking a step closer to the bed. Duo shook his head in disbelief. Quatre was dead. There was no way he could be standing right there. Quatre came even closer to the bed and Duo inched away from him. "Don't be scared," Quatre said gently.
    
    "I'm going crazy. I'm seeing dead people," Duo thought irrationally as Quatre sat down on the bed. He smiled.
    "No, you are not going crazy and I'm an angel, not just some dead person and before you start to think anything else, yes I can read your mind so don't even think of saying anything bad" Quatre answered knowingly. Duo's jaw dropped open. Quatre had to stifle a giggle.

"Okay, then why are you here?" Duo thought curiously, hastily wiping an escaped tear off his already tear stained cheeks. Seeing his best friend again had brought so unexpected emotions, like sadness, anger, and total disbelief. Quatre patted Duo's knee through the blankets. Duo shuddered. The touch had felt so real but so distant, so warm yet ice cold.

"I'm here to tell you to get on with your life" Quatre explained warmly. "I'm dead and there's nothing in the world that can change that, not even the god of death". Duo had to smile sheepishly at that comment. "It's not so bad up there. You get to meet a lot of new people and I can spend time with my parents but I still get missions to come back down here to help lost souls. You can't blame yourself. You need to get on with your life".

"But if I had just…" Duo started to say before he got interrupted by Quatre. 

"You can't go through life playing the "what-if" game. It'll just hold you back. No matter how many times you go through different situations, nothing will change the present" Quatre said meaningfully. Something triggered a switch in Duo's brain.

"So, you mean it wasn't my fault?" he asked hopefully. Quatre shook his head, his platinum blond hair waving furiously.

"NO! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! STOP BEING SUCH A BAKA AND LISTEN!" Quatre cried, then realized what he had said and covered his mouth with his hand. Duo started to giggle silently, then laugh silently; finally, he started to laugh outloud. Quatre started to giggle too. "Oh, you think that's funny? Well, I'll show you something even funnier!" Quatre moved in to launch a tickle attack on Duo. Duo started laughing even harder and tried to squirm away from Quatre's expert tickling procedures.

"I give up, you win" Duo forfeited silently. Quatre reluctantly slowed his attack and then stopped all together. Duo's laughter stopped and was replaced by several jaw cracking yawns.

"You should get some sleep," Quatre concluded, standing up.

"Wait little buddy! Don't *yawn* go! I'm not ***yawn * **tired *yawn * at all" Duo pleaded. Quatre smiled sadly. 

"I'm sorry, I've got to go now and you definitely need some sleep my friend". Quatre placed a gentle hand on Duo's forehead and Duo's eyes seemed to droop even more after this simple action. Quatre pushed down on Duo's shoulders to make him lie down. Duo's eyes closed then flickered open. They then closed again and stayed closed. Quatre pulled the fuzzy baby blue blanket up to Duo's chin and started to creep away.

"Will I ever see you again?" Duo thought sleepily.

"Whenever you need me, I'll come" Quatre whispered just loud enough for Duo to hear. Duo, then fell into a deep sleep. Quatre started to walk over to the window when a slight movement in the doorway caught his attention. "I know someone's there, why don't you just come out?" Quatre called out. Red faced, Jade reluctantly rolled her chair around the door and into the room.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly. Quatre was startled by her bluntness but quickly recovered.

"My name's Quatre and you are Jade" he replied softly.

"How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you and Duo"

"Why?"

"It's my job"

"Is Duo alright?" Jade's voice had a hint of worry in it.

"He'll be fine. He just needs sometime to sort something's out like you do" Quatre replied helpfully. Jade's eyes narrowed.

"I still don't understand how you know so much about me and Duo," she said accusingly. Quatre sighed. Jade was even more stubborn than Duo. He unfolded his wings for proof.

"It's much easier to watch over people all the way up there" Quatre joked, folding his magnificent white wings back up. Jade couldn't believe her eyes. A real live angel. Her grandmother had always said that she had a guardian angel but she had never taken it seriously.

"Can you tell me what happened to Duo?' she asked curiously. Quatre looked over at his sleeping friend and shook his head.

"He will tell you when he is ready. Whatever you do, don't pressure him about it. It will only make things worse" Quatre ordered sternly. Jade nodded her head to show that she understood. "Good. I need to go now. Please watch over my friend. He needs all the friends he can get".

"Alright, goodbye" Jade whispered as Quatre's figure glowed then disappeared. Jade wheeled over to the bed and studied Duo carefully. He looked different some how. Like a great sadness had been lifted from him but there was still some traces of another heavy burden.

"I'll help you Duo, the only way I know how. I made a promise with an angel and I don't break promises" Jade thought determinedly, blinking back tears as she left Duo's room to let him sleep in peace.

Duo slept through until he next morning when he was rudely awakened by someone shaking him.

"Duo, you lazy bum, get out of bed!" someone called out loudly. Duo groaned and stuffed his head under a pillow. "This is your last warning, don't make me get Dami" the voice warned. As soon as Duo heard Dami's name, he removed the pillow and slowly sat up to see his awakener, Justin. Justin grinned brightly, "I knew that would get you up if I threatened to get Dami. Come on, it's time for breakfast!".

Duo was rubbing sleep from his eyes but when Justin had mentioned breakfast, he sat up straighter and smiled too. Justin wheeled over and started to make his bed. "It's a good thing you did wake up. Damio has a very effective way of making people get up" Justin explained, drawing his blanket over his pillow.

"Which would be…?" Duo questioned silently, stretching his arms up. Justin clicked off his bedside light and turned to face Duo.

"Such as dumping buckets of cold water on the sleeper" he finished. Duo laughed silently and pulled himself out of bed and into his wheelchair by the means of the harness. Duo silently made his rumpled bed and then went to go out the door when something stopped him. On his nightstand, there was a sparkling white feather.

"Quatre" Duo thought silently, "I remember now". Images of the night before flooded Duo's head. Quatre, sitting there, talking to him like nothing had happened. "I wonder if he'll ever come back".

"Duo, Duo! Time to go!". Justin's voice startled Duo out of his thoughts. "Come on! If we're late, we won't get to eat breakfast" Justin explained hurriedly. Duo tugged his baseball cap tighter on his head and squared his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go" Duo thought determinedly and pushed himself out of the doorway after Justin's retreating back.

&&&&

"Okay Duo, what we're going to do today is see exactly what we need to do to get you back on your feet again. Now, no throwing your dry erase board at me" Damio warned Duo an hour later, as Duo hoisted himself onto a therapy table. Duo wrote something in response. 

"I like to fling it like a Frisbee". Damio grinned.

"I'll watch out then. Now, I can guarantee you that somethings we do today will hurt and you'll have a hard time moving tomorrow but I assure you that it's all worth it in the end" Damio explained as Duo listened intently. "Now, lie down and let me do my work". Duo obeyed and lied down on the plastic covered table. Damio picked up his leg and began stretching in up and down. Duo gritted his teeth. Dami hadn't been lying, this did hurt. After half an hour of stretching, Damio patted Duo's leg, which was the signal that he could sit up. Duo screamed silently as he sat up. Damio noticed his pain.

"It'll get better, I promise," she said sympathetically. "We'll be working on strengthening those muscles along with your upper body strength where you have that staple. Now, follow me". Duo gingerly got off the table and into his waiting chair. Using all the power he had left in his tired arms, he followed Dami, who was walking out of the room and towards the elevator. They rode the elevator to the 5th floor and got put. Through huge glass doors, Duo could see a pool. Dami held the door open but Duo made no move to go in.

"Come on Duo, it's time for aqua therapy" Dami explained. Duo shook his head and furiously wrote something on his board.

"I don't like water". Damio sighed.

"What don't you like about the water?" she asked patiently. Duo wrote his reply quickly.

"It's wet".

"Really? I never would of guessed that" Dami replied sarcastically. Jade happened to come by at that exact moment.

"Hi Dami, what's up?" Jade asked cheerfully.

"I'm trying to reason with Duo. He doesn't like the water because it's wet" Damio explained rapidly. Duo noticed something weird whenever Dami was speaking very fast or she was exasperated. She seemed to slur some of her words. Jade wheeled herself over beside Duo.

"I have to do my therapy too. I really don't like the water but it's not that bad. Come on, we can do it together" Jade offered helpfully. Dami jumped in to help.

"You don't have to be afraid. I have to get into the water too so you won't be alone" she added reassuringly. Jade nodded in agreement. Duo went over all of this in his head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if other people were with him. But one thing was still bothering him.

"I can't stand up though, I'll float away or sink" Duo wrote nervously. Jade had to stifle another laugh.

"In the water, you weigh less so it's easier to stand up but you also wear a belt that keeps you strapped to the side of the pool and it's only 7 feet deep in the deep end. Dami will also be there if you get into trouble," Jade said soothingly. Duo nodded and wheeled himself into the poolroom. Jade followed him but Damio stopped her.

"Thanks Jade, you knew just what to say" Dami said sincerely. Jade had to smile.

"You just have to know what to say. It also helps if you've felt that way before. That's how I felt when I first came here" Jade replied softly and wheeled off. Dami stared after her in amazement then followed.

^^^&&&&

The afternoon had whizzed by and Duo could hardly move. He was just finishing up his dessert when he noticed something strange. Rose seemed to be holding her head and grimacing in pain. He hastily scribbled something on his board and held it up for Rose to read.

"What's wrong?". Rose smiled sadly.

"I'm fine Duo, just a bit tired" Rose replied quietly. Jade groaned and leaned back in her chair. Duo turned to her and held up the same sign.

"What's wrong?" Jade grimaced. 

"I'm not feeling too good. I think I'll go to bed now" Jade explained softly and wheeled out of the caf. Rose looked up and saw Jade leaving.

"I think I'll follow her. Just to make sure she's okay" Rose commented and stood up slowly, wavering a bit. She set off to the door, moving slowly, her braces clanking together slightly. Paddy noticed Duo staring after them.

"They'll be fine. By the way, thanks for keeping Damio busy today. She barley had time for us" Paddy said jokingly. Duo smirked and finished his ice cream. One final bell rang and everyone headed off to bed.

&&&&

Duo was awakened by a piercing scream. Justin sat straight up in bed. "You heard it too right?" he asked worriedly. Duo reached over and turned on his bedside light. The he nodded to Justin. Footsteps could be heard running down the hall. Urgent voices drifted in through the half open door.

"We've got a code blue in room 209! Get medical personal right away!" Duo turned to Justin for an explanation. Justin was shaking.

"A code blue means someone has died. Room 209 is Jade's and Rose's room" Justin explained tearfully. Duo couldn't believe his ears. Either Rose or Jade had died.

&&&&&&&

Oh boy, this is a really bad place to leave it off but hopefully, people will be understanding.

Maoz- Yes, I've made $500! Do I hear $600?

Can't anyone help me out here????

Wishful Thinker

  



	14. Part 14

Hey everyone! I'm hoping that not too many people are mad at me for leaving the last chapter the way I did. So, to make up for my cliffhanger, I'm posting this chapter sooner than I usually would. Oh, to mention one more thing, the G-boys were never Gundam Pilots.

Maoz- Oh yes! I've made $600! I rule! *does a little victory dance*

Um, excuse me, don't I get any of this money?

Maoz-*blinks* Now why would I do something like that?

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Disclaimer-same old, same old, I don't own anything

One Fateful Night

Duo was awakened by a piercing scream. Justin sat straight up in bed. "You heard it too right?" he asked worriedly. Duo reached over and turned on his bedside light. Then he nodded to Justin. Footsteps could be heard running down the hall. Urgent voices drifted in through the half open door.

"We've got a code blue in room 209! Get medical personal right away!" Duo turned to Justin for an explanation. Justin was shaking.

"A code blue means someone has died. Room 209 is Jade's and Rose's room" Justin explained tearfully. Duo couldn't believe his ears. Either Rose or Jade had died.

Justin quickly hoisted himself out of bed and into his chair. Duo did the same even though his muscles were screaming in agony. More footsteps echoed down the hallway. Justin, being the quicker of the two, reached the doorway first. Everything was strangely silent now; like it had all been a dream. Duo painfully rolled over to Justin, who was still shaking. 

Suddenly, a stretcher was rolled out of room 209, just 3 doors down from where Justin and Duo were watching. On the stretcher, was a black bag. The one sure sign that someone had indeed died. Taking a deep breath, Justin pushed himself out of the doorway and down the dark, forbidding hall. 

"Just one more room to go" Duo thought nervously as they approached the room. He didn't want either one of them to be dead. They were both his friends. Justin had stopped in the doorway. Duo could hear someone crying softly.

"It can't be" Justin murmured. One of the beds was empty, the one closest to the window, Rose's bed. Silent tears started to run down Justin's cheeks. Rose, she just couldn't me dead. Choking out a sob, Justin turned around and headed in the other direction, away from the room. Duo, fearing the worst, stuck his head in.

Damio was there, crying into her hands. Jade was sitting on her bed, just staring at the empty one across from her, Rose's bed. Duo stifled a cry. Rose was the one who had died. Silently, Duo wheeled himself over to Jade.

"She's gone" Jade whispered emotionlessly. "She wanted to live so badly. She was going to leave next week. After 15 damn hell filled months, she was finally going home. And now, who knows where she is!" Jade's voice escalated, making Dami look up. Duo, sharing her pain, reached up and wrapped his arms around her. He turned his cobalt eyes on Dami. She nodded and joined in the hug. Duo stayed with Dami and Jade for the rest of the night, knowing that it would be better to stay together then apart in during this devastating time.

A few days had passed and Jade had spent them in silence. Damio had tried coaxing her out of her room but Jade refused to budge. Justin tried to pretend nothing was wrong but he woke up at night, with wet cheeks and a broken heart. Duo didn't know what to do. He didn't feel sad or upset. He felt as though nothing had happened but something had. To replace the sadness, guilt came into play. Duo couldn't help feeling guilty about Rose's death. It wasn't right that he didn't feel sad. Everyone else was affected by her death. Her funeral had been the day before and everyone was invited but of course, everyone couldn't go. Everybody had written a little message or given Damio a flower to toss onto Rose's grave for them.

Duo entered his bathroom and pulled off his baseball cap. Dark brown fuzz covered Duo's scared head. He reached up and touched it. It felt so soft. Duo had put on some much-needed weight but he was still very pale. He wheeled out over to the window. Crystallized water droplets had started to fall. (in other words, snowflakes). "The first snow of the season. I bet the others are out having fun snowboarding" Duo thought, he started to smile as the image of Quatre's first time on skis popped into his head. The Arabian boy had been extremely nervous, being used to sand instead of snow.

*Flashback*

"I'm not so sure about this Duo" Quatre said nervously, tugging on his zipper. 

"Don't worry about it Quatre! You'll do fine," Duo said reassuringly, breathing in the fresh winter air. "Come on. Take a couple of deep breaths and you'll feel better". Quatre tried doing that, but inhaled too deeply and started coughing. Duo started patting Quatre on the back. This simple action knocked Quatre off balanced and he started to slide down the hill.

"Duo! Help!" Quatre cried frantically as he picked up speed. Quatre gulped as he saw a tree in his path.

"Lean to the left!" Duo cried out, starting down the hill. Quatre closed his eyes and leaned to the left. He managed to avoid the tree but not the huge snowbank. He plowed right into it and disappeared. Duo quickly slid to a stop. "Quatre, are you okay?" Duo asked worriedly. Something that seemed to resemble Quatre's head popped out and groaned. Then came a hand. Duo reached out and grabbed that hand; trying very hard not to laugh as a snow covered Quatre came out. He wiped the snow from his eyes and groaned again.

"Are you okay buddy?" Duo asked worriedly. Quatre shook his head.

"I've got snow down my pants" he muttered angrily. Duo couldn't help himself this time. He started to laugh. Quatre looked hurt until he realized how funny the situation actually was. He started to laugh too.

*end flashback*

"Duo, Duo". Dami was waving hand infront of Duo's eyes. He jumped in surprise. He hadn't even heard Dami come in. "It's time for lights out" she explained softly. Duo glanced over at Justin's bed. He was already asleep. Duo wordlessly climbed into bed and turned out his light. He fell asleep instantly.

An: the next part that happens is during a dream...*

Duo was standing on top of the mountain. He breathed in the fresh mountain air and looked down over the little village. "Wow, I'm really high up" Duo said out loud. He grabbed his throat. "I'm talking" he whispered, then he looked down at his legs. "I'm standing," he said in disbelief. Then scene suddenly changed. 

Duo was now standing in the house he shared with Heero, Trowa, Wufei and the girls. He walked down the familiar hall to his bedroom. He slowly opened the door and went to sit down on his bed. He looked around the room with tears of happiness in his eyes. He had wanted this for so long.

"So, this is what your room looks like Duo" a female voice said from behind him. Duo turned around quickly to see a very familiar person with hair spun like gold. "Hiya, it's me Rose! Betcha you would have never thought me to be a blond" Rose said happily.

"Now I know I'm dreaming" Duo muttered, then realized he could speak again.

"Of course you're dreaming. We just decided to have some fun and invade them. We're real but everything else is a dream" an all too familiar male voice said from behind Rose.

"Quatre?" Duo breathed. Quatre stepped out from behind the other blond, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"It's me! Rose and I have become good friends" Quatre explained, coming to sit beside Duo.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get him to loosen up a bit more" Rose commented nonchalantly, also coming over to sit down. Quatre stuck his tongue out at her.

"Well, I hope you have better luck than I did" Duo commented. He was a bit jealous about Rose being such good friends with Quatre but he buried it in his heart. Rose grinned.

"It's going to be a challenge" she replied knowingly. She then put an arm around Duo. "I need you to do a favor for me though".

"Sure, what is it?" Duo asked politely. Rose's mood darkened.

"It's Jade. She's taking this really hard if you haven't noticed. I haven't been able to reach her and I think I might have scared her that night, right before it happened. But you can't allow her to shut herself off from the world. She had a wonderful mind and soul that is needed" Rose explained tearfully.

"I'll do my best but it's going to be hard. I still can't talk" Duo reminded them sadly.

"I know you'll get the message through somehow. We all have faith in you" Quatre said warmly. Duo noticed something bizarre. Rose and Quatre seemed to be flickering in and out of focus. Quatre noticed this and motioned for Rose to stand up. "We've got to go now Duo".

"So soon?" Duo asked sadly. Quatre smiled.

"I'm afraid so buddy. Take care" he said gently. Rose winked at Duo.

"I've got an acting lesson to go to. With Shakespeare. I can't be late for that," Rose said, her eyes twinkling.

"Just remember that we'll always be watching over you 2. You can get through to Jade. We have faith in you" Quatre's fading voice called out and with that, the dream ended.

Duo woke up to the sound of birds twittering. "Dumb birds" he thought sleepily and almost turned over to go back to sleep when something stopped him. A pair of misty gray eyes stopped him and made him sit up in surprise.

"Jade! What are you doing here?" Duo cried silently in surprise. Jade didn't answer him. She just stared. At this exact moment, Duo's dream came flooding back to him. He grabbed his dry erase board and started writing.

"Jade, I just had a very strange dream. But parts of it were real. I was visited by Quatre and Rose. Rose is very concerned about you. She said that she couldn't reach you so she had to trust me with this message. She said that you needed to move on in life. She also said you have a beautiful mind and soul that can't be wasted and she wants you to forgive her for scaring you". Jade read this silently. A single salty tear ran down her cheek.

"I forgive you Rose" Jade croaked before the rest of the tears came.

"It's going to be alright Jade" Duo said silently, patting her hand. He then erased what he had written and wrote a new sentence.

"What happened that night?" Jade shuddered and drew in a breath.

"Rose and I both weren't feeling well so we decided to go to bed early. Her calling my name awakened me. I sat up and she was holding her head in pain" Jade whispered.

*flashback *

"Rose, what's wrong? Do you want me to go get Dami?" Jade asked worriedly. Rose shook her head.

"I'm dying Jade. There's something wrong with my head. I can feel something cutting off my circulation. It's too late now" Rose explained grimly.

"Rose! You can't leave!" Jade cried frantically, moving to get out of bed.

"Stay put. You're my best friend in the whole wide world Jade but nothing can stop this from happening. It's just fate. If god wants me to die, then so be it. No one can over power him" Rose said sadly. Jade shook her head, tears streaming down her fiery red cheeks.

"I don't want you to die," she cried.

"You have a wonderful mind Jade. Put it to good use!" Rose said gently, drawing her final breath. "How ironic. To think that I was going to be allowed to go home next week. Good bye my friend Jade, take care of your self". And with that, Rose's eyes closed for the final time.

"No!" Jade screamed.

*end flashback *

"That's what happened" Jade finished softly. The story had brought a tear to Duo's eye. Jade lifted her head but there was something different about her this time. A determined look replaced the sad and distant one in her eyes. "But I'm not going to let it bother me anymore. 

Jade glanced over at Justin who was tossing and turning. She then turned back to Duo. "Come with me". Duo struggled to get out of bed and into his chair. He then followed Jade down the semi lit hallway to an alcove.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Duo asked silently. Jade was just staring out the window.

"I'm going home today" she whispered.

"What?" Duo cried soundlessly. Jade turned and looked him in the eye.

"I get to go home today, just in time for Christmas. I was technically allowed to go home a few weeks ago but I had to wait for the modifications on the house to be completed. There was no hope from the beginning with me. I knew I was never going to be able to walk again" Jade explained sadly.

"I hope you have a good Christmas then," Duo thought. He was so frustrated with himself that he couldn't talk. Jade noticed his angry face and smiled.

"I know someone that will understand what you're going through" she commented nonchalantly.

"Really, who?" Duo asked curiously. Jade's smile widened.

"Damio".

&*&*&*

"Bye Jade. Good luck! Come back and visit" Dami called out. Jade turned around and waved, then pushed herself out the door with her dad following, carrying her suitcase. Dami sighed and turned back to Duo who was ready to corner her.

"It's sad whenever someone leaves. Especially when they can't walk out of here" Damio said sadly. Duo held up his dry erase board for Dami to read.

"I need to ask you something".

"Sure Duo, but let's go to the caf so I can sit down" Dami replied good naturally. As soon as Dami sat down, Duo furiously scribbled another message.

"Jade told me to talk to you. She said you would understand my frustration with not being able to talk". Dami face paled.

"Oh that Jade! I suppose I can tell you what happened but only if you really want to hear it" Dami said stubbornly. Duo nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, John, my brother, was in a horrible accident when he was twelve. I was only 7 at the time and I was very close to him. He fell off the highest diving board and broke his legs in 12 places each. I just stopped talking. I swore that I wouldn't start talking again till he was better. He was in a coma for several weeks and the doctors didn't know if he was ever going to wake up. He had 10 surgeries and when he did finally wake up, he was faced with another challenge. He had to learn how to walk again. I still refused to talk and even John couldn't change my mind. It took him nearly 4 years to learn how to walk again. By then, even when I tried, I couldn't talk. I went through the rest of my teen years not being able to talk. I got this job 3 years ago part time and full time for the last year. I met a certain person while I was working part time here and she was determined to get me to talk again. I thought it was crazy until she actually started to teach me again. I didn't know where she learned how but I'm sure glad she was so stubborn. I wouldn't be talking today if it wasn't for her. I then took a course on how to help people learn how to talk again. I still have a bit of trouble if you haven't noticed, when I get upset or I start talking very fast, I tend to slur my words but hopefully this will disappear in time" Damio explained. Duo was amazed by this story.

"I want to meet this girl". Damio smiled.

"But Duo, you already have" she replied mysteriously. This confused Duo even more.

"Who is she?" Dami leaned forward.

"Jade".

&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Several weeks had passed and Christmas was only 2 days away. Heero had visited the day before yesterday and brought Duo some Christmas presents from everyone. From Wufei, he received a package of hair elastics and note saying, "now you won't have to steal mine". From Trowa he received 5 comic brand new comic books. From all the girls, including Hilde, he got black hand knitted mitts, a black hat and a black scarf. Heero gave him a box of chocolate bars and several other comic books plus a journal to write in. In his own hand, Heero had written " just believe, hope and pray". Duo was very confused by these words.

Justin noticed Duo sitting alone, thinking yet again. "That boy thinks too much" Justin thought amusedly, going over to bring Duo back to the Christmas party. Justin had finally gotten over Rose's death and now had a new outlook on life.

"Duo, come back and join the party! They're giving out chocolate cupcakes now" Justin bribed. Duo shook his head clear and followed Justin over to the festive table. The whole caf had been decorated in green and red. Mistletoe hung from the 3 doorways and red and green streamers hung loosely off the high, white roof. Duo had been working with Damio for several hours a day and was now regaining all of his strength back but he still couldn't talk. Duo had now removed his baseball cap. He could run his fingers through his hair but it wouldn't be the real him till he could put it back into a braid.

Damio came wandering over and offered Duo a cupcake with red and green icing. "Here you go Duo! Happy Holidays!" she said cheerfully. Duo tried to say thank you but air was the only thing that came out of his mouth. He sighed and started to eat his cupcake. Damio sighed. She wandered back over to where her brother was standing, chatting to Paddy.

"Why so glum?" Paddy asked cheerfully as Damio approached them.

"It's Christmas, you're not allowed to be upset" John ordered jokingly. Dami smiled sadly. 

"I'm just concerned about Duo. He seems to be losing hope" she explained. John glanced over to where Duo was. He did indeed seem to be becoming sadder and sadder.

"There's nothing we can really do" John said disappointedly. But Paddy knew there was something they could do.

"Duo should be ready to go home soon, right?" he asked curiously. Damio looked up in surprise.

"Well, he still has a long way to go but if you consider 6 months to be soon then the answer is yes" she explained. "What are you up too Paddy?" Paddy couldn't help laughing a bit.

"You'll see. I have to talk somethings over with Justin and them" and with that, he rolled off.

"I didn't like the look in his eyes" John commented nervously. Damio shrugged. 

"There's not much he can do. He's going home in the next couple of months" she replied. "But I have a funny feeling that that fact isn't going to stop him".

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

It was December 25th and Duo woke up gasping for breath. He had just relived the crash yet again. He looked over at Justin's bed. It was empty. Sun was streaming in through the half open curtains. Duo had obviously slept in. Since it was Christmas, Damio and the other therapists had decided to give them a day of rest. He was about to get up when he noticed something floating down from the ceiling, fluttering from side to side. He reached up and grabbed it. It was a note. 

It read: Merry Christmas Duo! From Rose and Quatre.

Duo started to grin. Quatre and Rose did remember him! It had been so long since he had heard from them. 

"Knock, knock, can I come in?" a voice called from the doorway. Duo looked up. It was Jade! "Hey Duo. I came to give you your Christmas present" Jade said cheerfully, wheeling into the room.

"What is it?" Duo asked silently. Jade's smile brightened.

"It's something that I think you'll appreciate. A private lesson to help you talk again, with me" Jade replied.

Duo couldn't believe his ears! Jade was going to help him learn how to talk again!

"Okay, where do we start?" Duo thought excitedly. Jade laughed. 

"First things first. You get dressed and I'll meet you down in the caf" Jade ordered and left the room. Duo moved to get out of bed. He couldn't wait to get started.

At the end of the day, Duo had made little progress. He was obviously frustrated which made him try too hard. Jade had one more trick up her sleeve. "You're obviously never going to talk again. I don't know why I wasted my time on you" Jade said angrily, preparing to leave. Duo was disappointed. He didn't want to make Jade angry. He was angry too. He had been trying his hardest and Jade was yelling at him.

"…………" Duo tried to talk but still nothing came out. Jade looked at him. 

"Call me when you actually want to try to learn" she said, looking disgusted. She started to wheel away.

Duo was so angry. He was having a hard time focusing. His ears seemed to go deaf. He was angry at the world, angry with himself and angry at Jade. He was so angry, he couldn't take it anymore.

"I HATE YOU TOO" he yelled out loud, then realized what he had done. He had talked. Jade turned around and grinned. 

"It always works" she replied and came back. Duo was in complete and total shock. He had talked. His throat felt sore and scratchy but he didn't care. He could talk!! He turned to the grinning Jade and smiled back.

"Than—kk yyyyouu" Duo managed to get out. 

"Now we can get down to the more serious matters" Jade replied, cracking her fingers. Duo nodded.

"I'm reah, reah, ready".

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Oh boy, what a long chapter this was! Oh well, I hoped everyone liked it.I'm kinda getting the impression that nobody really likes this anymore. Maybe I should discontinue it….

Wishful Thinker


	15. Part 15

*sighs * This is the second last chapter in this fic. I still have no clue what's going to happen in this one but since I have the very last chapter typed, I figured that it might be a good idea to start on this one. *pushes disclaimer to the front of the room *

Disclaimer-Wishful Thinker doesn't own anything related to gundam wing. She doesn't even own a brain.

HEY! That wasn't very nice. And to think that I was planning to let you go…

Disclaimer-damn!

No swearing. Hmmm, whom can I torture next before I start typing…?

Maoz-*snoring incredibly loud *

HEHEHEHEHE, I can get my revenge now…

Maoz-*muttering in sleep * I rule, I'm rich…

One Fateful Night

2 months had passed and Duo was still celebrating his newfound voice. But there was one thing he couldn't celebrate with the others, which was learning how to walk again. Duo was watching Paddy. Like every other event that had happened, Paddy seemed to turn this one into a joke as well.

"Look Ma! No hands!" Paddy cried as he let go of the parallel bars and took a step. He had just transferred to braces 3 days ago. Apparently, he hadn't been as ready as he thought he was. Paddy's face had a combined look of surprise and shock on it as he fell face first to the ground.

Everyone started to laugh, everyone except Duo. "Nice job Paddy" Justin called out.

"What's next, flying lessons?" someone else suggested sarcastically. Suddenly, Damio came rushing over.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves, he could be hurt" Damio said angrily going to Paddy's side. As if on cue, he stuck his hand up in the air.

"I am okay" he replied, his voice slightly muffled from the padded mats. Damio sighed with relief and helped him stand up. Paddy seemed to be no worse for the wear but Dami still made him sit down. Duo wheeled over to Paddy.

"Are you really okay?" Duo asked worriedly. Paddy grinned and rubbed his nose.

"I'm fine. But I don't plan on doing that for awhile or else I'll be saying 'look ma! No nose!'. Paddy raised his voice so all the occupants in the room could here it. Damio glanced around a few minutes later and sighed. Everyone seemed to be holding his or her breath.

"All right, you can laugh now" she called out loudly. The whole room erupted in hysterical laughter. Even Duo had to join in. "Back to work everyone, or I'll becoming over" Damio said warningly. Sounds of weights being used and people straining to do their best quickly filled the room, not wanting to get Dami mad.

Paddy leaned back lazily in his chair, placing his arms behind his head. "Well, I get to sit back and relax while all you guys work out" he said teasingly. Damio chose that exact moment to come over and hear this comment.

"Oh Paddy, it's time for your stretching with me," Damio said innocently, smiling sweetly. Paddy's face paled instantly.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Paddy cried dramatically as Damio pushed him over to a table, "No!"

Duo chuckled and turned back to his own work. His exercise was to attach 5-pound ankle weights to his ankles and lift his legs. It was a long and tedious exercise since he had to do 5 sets of 20 for each leg. He glanced over at Justin who was making really good progress. Justin had transferred to braces 2 weeks ago and he was already walking up and down the lengths of the parallel bars, using them for support of course. Duo turned his gaze to Kendra who had seemed to have changed over night. She didn't seem sad anymore, just determined to get out of here A.S.A.P. Duo's searching eyes found Sydney who practicing walking without braces, just canes. She hadn't been hurt as badly as the rest of them. She was probably going to go home in the next few weeks. Duo sighed once more and went back to his own work. Everyone else seemed to be progressing ahead, while he was left behind.

*&**&*&*&*&*

Somebody sobbing softly woke Duo up in the middle of the night. He groaned and looked at his watch. It said 3:40 am. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep without finding out who was crying. Duo got out of bed and into his chair. Listening carefully, he figured out that whoever it was, was in the next room. Wheeling across the black hallway, he entered the room. There was a figure in shadows, near the window, with hunched shoulders. As Duo wheeled over to the figure, he banged into something. The figure stiffened and turned around.

"What do you want?" the figure growled menacingly. Duo held up his hands to show that he came in peace.

"I just heard you crying and wanted to find out what was wrong" Duo said calmly. Suddenly, the full moon came out from behind the clouds and cast a stream of milky white light on the mystery person. Duo gasped. It was Sam!

"Well, it's none of your business so just leave" Sam said angrily, wiping a tear away, turning back to look out the window. Duo moved closer to Sam.

"You might feel better if you talk about it" Duo suggested quietly. Sam sniffled slightly.

"Why would you care? Are you a saint or something?" he retorted sarcastically. Duo sighed.

"I'm not a saint and I just care. I really don't have a reason but it doesn't matter, does it?" Duo replied softly. Sam sighed. The only way that he was going to go away was if Sam told him what was wrong.

"Where should I start?" Sam answered emotionlessly. Duo smiled slightly.

"You can start by introducing yourself" Duo suggested helpfully. Sam turned around and held out his hand to Duo.

"I'm Sam". Duo reached out and shook Sam's hand.

"My name's Duo. Now, what were you crying about?" Duo asked curiously.

"I'm sure you know what happened to me. My girlfriend died and it was all my fault. Now, I have to go home and everyone will blame me and I don't think I can take it anymore. I really didn't mean to do it but I can't change the past" Sam explained miserably. Duo nodded sympathetically.

"Have you tried saying sorry?" Duo said warmly. Sam looked surprised.

"No, I had just assumed that everyone wouldn't forgive me" he muttered. 

"Why don't you try that and go from there. Chances are that they need to blame someone but it's really not your fault. It's not anybody's. Don't forget, talking always helps, no matter what the situation is" Duo finished quietly, thinking back to his own accident. For the first time in a long time, Sam smiled.

"Thanks Duo. I never thought about it that way" Sam replied warmly. It was Duo's turn to smile.

"Glad I could help. You around much longer?" Duo asked curiously. Sam shook his head.

"I'm leaving tomorrow or should I say today" Sam replied. Duo glanced at his watch. It was 4:30am. 

"It was nice talking to you Sam. I don't know about you but I'm really tired. I wish you luck in you life" Duo said tiredly. Sam nodded.

"Same to you Duo. Goodbye and thank you".

&*&*&*&*&*&*&

1 month had gone by and Sam had indeed gone home. Duo was staring lazily out the window at the pounding rain. He quickly fell asleep and Kendra and Sydney decided to play a little trick. After finding the package of elastics that Duo had gotten for Christmas, they crept over to him and started to work.

Duo woke up when he felt someone shaking him. Groaning, he opened one to see whom he would have to kill later. It was Justin, who seemed to being trying very hard not to laugh. Duo glanced around him and saw the empty plastic bag that contained his elastics. His hair had grown down to his jawbone, but it was still too short for a braid. Cautiously, he reached up and touched the top of head. It was covered with little ponytails.

"KENDRA! SYDNEY!" Duo cried out angrily. He could hear the 2 girls giggling from the hallway. As he wheeled out to go and get them, he made a mental note to do the same prank to Wufei when he got the chance to. 

&*&*&*&**&*&*

"Goodbye Sydney! Bye Justin!" Dami cried happily 2 weeks later, as Justin and Sydney slowly walked out of rehab. They had been released and were now going home. Home, a word Duo had dreamed about for the past few months. He would give anything just to see it again. 

"Bye everyone, we'll be back to visit" Justin and Sydney called back together. Duo waved as they disappeared through the door. 

"I hope I can do that soon" Duo whispered as everyone went back to his or her normal activities.

*&*&*&*&*&*&

Later on that week, Heero came to visit. Duo was doing some more strengthening exercises when he saw Heero enter the room.

"Hiya Heero! How are you?" Duo asked cheerfully, raising his leg, then lowering it.

"I just thought I would see how you were doing" Heero asked. "So, how are you doing?"

Duo grinned. "I asked you first". Heero sighed.

"I'm fine. And before you ask, everyone else is all right too" he replied emotionlessly.

"That's good. I'm all right but I have a question for you" Duo replied seriously. Heero sat down on the bed.

"Well, what is it?" Heero asked impatiently.

"Calm down. I just want to know what you meant by those words you wrote in the journal," Duo asked calmly. Heero started to blush slightly.

"I really can't tell you" Heero muttered. Duo was surprised. Heero had never not had an answer for a question before.

"Why?" Duo pressed on.

"I really don't know myself. I just wrote them. It was like somebody else wanted me to write those words" Heero explained quietly. He then looked at his watch and raised an eyebrow. "I've got to go now. Sorry".

"Meh, it's okay. Will you come back on the weekend?" Duo asked, resuming his exercises.

"Sure. Take care" and with that, Heero left the room. He was about to go out the main door when somebody stopped him.

"You're Heero, right?" Paddy asked curiously.

"Yeah, and you would be?" Heero asked impatiently. Paddy grinned.

"I'm Paddy. I need to talk to you about something I'm planning for Duo" Paddy explained seriously. This caught Heero's attention.

"I'm listening" he replied slowly. 

"Good. Here is what I'm planning"…

*&&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

2 weeks had passed and it was time for Kendra and Paddy to go back home. Duo was sad; he was losing all of his friends. "We'll be back to visit until you can go home too Duo" Paddy called back to. Kendra nodded.

"Definitely" she added and with that, they were gone. Damio turned to Duo.

"You can help me out today. Three new people are coming in and one of them is going to be your new room mate" Damio explained happily. Duo gave her a small smile. He didn't want a new roommate; he wanted his old one.

2 hours later, 2 new people joined him at his cafeteria table. "Hey, my name's Duo" Duo said cheerfully. A boy with jet-black hair smiled back. 

"You're my roommate then. My name's Austin" Austin said happily. He had warm brown eyes and was fairly tall. Duo turned to the other new person.

"My name's Melanie" Melanie said warmly, "nice to meet you Duo". Melanie had auburn hair with sky blue eyes. She was on the short side. Duo looked around for the third person.

"Wasn't there supposed to be 3 of you?" he asked confusedly.

'Oh, my roommate, Lindsey, has to say in bed" Melanie explained.

"Oh, okay, well, you guys are just in time for some wonderful lunch" Duo joked as Dami approached the table. Austin rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait," he said sarcastically.

&**&*&*&*&*&*&

Duo wanted to meet Lindsey, so right after he was done therapy; he went straight to her room, 214. 

"Knock, knock. Can I come in?" Duo asked politely. 

"Sure" came a voice from inside. Duo wheeled himself into the room and over to the bed with the girl lying in it.

"Hi, my name's Duo and you must be Lindsey" Duo said knowingly. Lindsey had light brown hair and hazel eyes. She was lying perfectly still.

"Ah, so you are the Duo I was warned about" she said jokingly. Duo pretended to be hurt. 

"Humph. Well, then maybe I won't be your friend" Duo said teasingly. Lindsey put out a hand to stop him from leaving.

"I was just joking" she replied apologetically. Duo let a smile creep over his face.

"I know" he replied impishly. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you have to stay in bed?"

"I broke my back and twisted my neck" Lindsey explained matter-of-factly.

"That's too bad. I suppose you just have to build up strength now?" Duo guessed.

"Yup. What happened to you though?" she asked curiously. Duo's eyes fell to the floor. Maybe this talking thing would help.

"I was in a car accident with my best friend and I broke my pelvic bone. My friend, Quatre, died" Duo explained sadly.

"I'm so sorry" Lindsey whispered. Duo shook off his feelings of sadness.

"Don't be. I know wherever Quatre is that he's forgiven me" Duo explained warmly. Then he noticed that Lindsey was staring at him. "Um, why are you staring at me?"

"Did you know that you're a very strong person?" Lindsey said seriously.

"Um, what do you mean?" Duo asked, looking very confused.

"The stronger people over come all the challenges that life throws at them. That's what makes them strong. The weaker ones give up and once they do, they'll be too scared to face another one in fear that it might be too hard" Lindsey explained knowingly, looking Duo straight in the eye. "You are a strong person like me. Never, ever give up hope".

*&*&*&

Duo didn't know this but Jade had come to visit him. She had been listening outside the door. She had finally gotten her answers.

"You are a truly amazing person Duo" she whispered, then left.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

3 weeks later, Dami had finally decided that Duo was ready to try braces.

"Now Duo, I'll be right here if you need any help" Dami said helpfully. Duo nodded and gripped the bars tightly.

"Just believe, hope, and pray". These words echoed through his head as he moved one leg forward and placed it solidly on the ground. Then the next one. Duo continued till he had reached the end of the bars.

"I did it" he whispered happily, a single tear of happiness rolling down his cheek.

"You sure did" Dami whispered to herself.

*&*&*&*&*&*&

Over the next month and a half, Duo had progressed rapidly. He was walking without having to use the bars for support, just for balance. One day, after a particularly hard workout, Damio came up to Duo, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"What are you so happy about?" Duo asked tiredly. 

"Oh nothing really. Just thinking about your reaction when I tell you that you can go home tomorrow" Dami replied nonchalantly. Duo was in complete shock.

"I don't believe it" he murmured.

"You better believe it. Of course, you have to come back for therapy but eventually that will stop too" Dami said seriously.

"But I get to go home" Duo whispered. Dami nodded.

"Yeah, so instead of just standing here and staring, you might want to get packing" she suggested. Duo was gone before she could say another word.

&*&*&*&

As Duo packed his stuff, he looked in the mirror and began to wonder if his hair was long enough for a braid yet. Picking up his brush with a shaking hand, he spilt his hair into 3 equal strands and began. 2 minutes later, he had reached the end of them but his hair; it was braided all the same. 

"Today must be my lucky day" Duo thought as he drifted off to sleep 1 hour later. Home, he was going home. Just a few more short hours…

*&*&*&*&*&*&

"But Dami, Heero will be here any minute" Duo protested.

"This will only take a few minutes and besides, you have to see this" Dami ordered, making sure Duo keep walking using his walker. Dami steered him through the cafeteria doors.

"Dami, it's pitch black in here" Duo complained.

"Hold on, I'm turning the lights on" Dami called back. Duo was getting annoyed now. Why was Damio acting so weird?

"SURPRISE!" Duo nearly jumped out of his skin. The caf's lights were shining on a fairly large group of people. The room was moderately decorated with streamers and balloons. 

"Wow" Duo whispered in awe. He could see Justin, Paddy, Jade, Kendra, Sydney, Austin, Melanie, Heero, John and Lindsey who had finally been allowed to get up.

"Go and greet your guests Duo" Dami whispered from behind. But it seemed that all of Duo's guests were coming to him. Chattering about everything, and anything.

"I knew you could do it" Justin said happily.

"You just had to believe" Jade added.

"If you turn around, you'll see another surprise" Paddy whispered mysteriously. Duo turned around and saw Trowa, Wufei, Relena, and Dorothy.

"I don't believe my eyes" Duo mumbled. Relena and Dorothy rushed over to him.

"We are so sorry Duo," they cried, giving him a big hug each. Duo was nearly strangled.

"It's all right" he managed to choke out. When they had finally let go, Trowa and Wufei approached him.

"We're sorry too," Wufei said sincerely apologizing for the both of them. Trowa nodded in agreement. Duo just smiled.

"Oh, you'll be sorry all right, when you find out how many new practical jokes I've learned" he said happily.

Wufei groaned. "I was just getting used to the peace and quiet too". Duo laughed and let people lead him over to the food table. Paddy was there, waiting.

"Thanks Paddy" Duo whispered.

"No problem friend, you've earned it" Paddy replied and went to go mingle. Duo looked up at the ceiling. Quatre was there, sitting on a beam, along with Rose. He smiled.

"Good job Duo! I knew you could do it!" Quatre said silently.

"We'll always be there. Don't forget us," Rose thought cheerfully and they both disappeared. Duo turned back to all his happy friends.

"Wow, this really is my lucky day. I have all these great friends, my hair fits in a braid, and I get to go home".

*&*&&&*&*&*&*&

I know this may seem like the end, but it's not. Still one more chapter to go. I already have it typed but I don't know when I'll post it. Hmm, maybe I'll wait for a bit. Who knows what I'll do?

Maoz-*wakes up* WHERE'S MY MONEY?!?!?!

I don't have it and by the way, YOU ARE FIRED!!!

Maoz-really??

Yes really, now go before I get angry

Maoz-*whimpers* bye then ***exits out the door ***

That takes care of that problem. I also have his money, hehehehehehehe

Please review! 

Wishful Thinker


	16. part 16

****

*sob * this is the last chapter of this fic. This chapter is definitely a tearjerker. I don't know how I'm going to write it without crying myself. Anyways, before I start, I want to thank all my reviewers by name: 

Duo's ONLY Chick

Serenity aura crystal winner

Onimegami

Kasra

Melara

Rona

Lauren Ashleigh

GalacticX

Okapi

RaritajiGolden

Brenda

Elmo

Reiji Neko Mitsukai

April Aries

Raine

Wildfire's Flame

Heero's Angel

Missy-chan

Janine

Trini

Wing

Katie

Jewls

Whew, I also would like to thank the people that read this fic but just don't have the time or are too lazy to review. One more thank you to the people that will review this fic after it's done. I would write your name in but I'm not a psychic so I don't know your names yet.

Now, to get this disclaimer over with. *pushes disclaimer to front of the room *

Disclaimer-* sighs * Wishful Thinker does not own anything related to gundam wing (characters, gundam, exc.) *turns to back around * Am I done?

Yes, that was very good, you may have your cookie now. * Pats disclaimer on the head*

Disclaimer-* scowls * I will escape

Sure, sure. Now, to get one more thing cleared up before I write this last chapter, there will be NO sequel. All right, for the last time…

One Fateful Night

It was August 8th. Exactly one year from that one fateful night. The sun shone brilliantly down on a car as it turned around a corner and stopped infront of a low grass covered hill.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Heero asked seriously. Duo nodded, his eyes burning with determination. "Okay, I'll wait for you here then". Duo slowly opened the car door and stood up slowly. A warm wind blew by rustling the lush grass and making Duo shiver involuntary. Knowing that it wouldn't be any easier to wait, he started slowly up the hill. Duo had been released from rehab 2 months ago but he still wasn't sure about his balance. He had to go back twice a week for therapy but eventually, that would stop too.

"I can make it" Duo muttered to himself, trudging up the hill, stopping once in awhile to steady himself. His braces clanked together slightly. Duo scowled and kept going. 10 minutes later, he had reached the top of the hill and found what he had been looking for, Quatre's grave.

Duo stood stock still for a moment, basking in the sunlight and peacefulness. Almost fearing to draw a breath, he began walking forward. Step by step, he approached the grave. It almost had a calm feeling around it, not unlike the feeling Quatre had brought to every place that he went. As Duo stepped beside the grave, the wind came whistling by again. Duo glanced around at the scenery. It was the type of place anyone could feel comfortable in. 30 meters left to the grave was an oak tree, from the looks of it, an old one. To the right, it was a grassy field with daisies and wild pansies growing in it. The sky was a bright blue with not a cloud in it. Duo knew what he had to do.

Very slowly, he bent down and laid 2 single white feathers near the grave stone. Duo looked curiously at the stone. The message was written in Quatre's native tongue. Sighing, Duo stood up again. He knew what he had to do now.

"Goodbye Quatre and thank you" Duo said to the wind. Casting one final glance at the grave he began the long walk back down the hill. But, just as he was beginning to descend, something stopped him. Duo turned around and smiled. Quatre was there, standing on his grave, with Rose right beside him. They were grinning and waving furiously. Duo had to stifle a laugh as Rose slyly slid behind Quatre and tapped him on his opposite shoulder. When Quatre turned around to see who was behind him, Rose had already moved back to her original place.

"I'll always be there for you Duo". Quatre and Rose seemed to fade away and Duo started to walk again. Duo couldn't help thinking as he walked back down about something Lindsey had said to him.

*flashback *

"The stronger people over come all the challenges that life throws at them. That's what makes them strong. The weaker ones give up and once they do, they'll be too scared to face another one in fear that it might be too hard" Lindsey explained knowingly, looking Duo straight in the eye. "You are a strong person like me. Never, ever give up hope".

*end flashback *

"You were right Lindsey. I am stronger now and I intend to get even stronger" Duo thought happily as he spotted the car. As he completed his trek down, he stepped into a new life, with new friends, and a new outlook on life. An outlook that comes from experience only. "I'll never give up hope again" Duo decided as he got back into the car. Heero looked at him quizzically.

"There's something different about you" he commented. Duo decided to have a little fun.

"I've been trying something new with my hair, you like it?" Duo said innocently, fluffing his short brown braid. Duo grinned as he saw a hint of blush creep into Heero's cheeks.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?" Heero muttered. Duo shook his head.

"I want to go home".

The end

Awwww, that was a sweet ending. It wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I know it's short but it's how I wanted to end it and I've been planning this from the very first chapter. Once again, I would like to thank everyone that had read this and all my reviewers too. This story couldn't have happened with out you. I wish everyone good luck in their future stories.

Oh, some of you maybe wondering where my lovely muse Maoz is…. He's currently at the unemployment office, looking for a new job and I have all his money. So, if anyone knows where I can find a good muse……..*hint hint * it would be appreciated.

Wishful Thinker


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